Nursing Theories

The caring, supportive, sympathetic features of nursing, is immeasurable. Theories are essential to have. They provide a description of what nurses do and give meaning and purpose. When nursing theories are developed this new knowledge can greatly impact the future of nursing practice (McCrae, 2012).

Theory development stems from personal experiences, intuition, and knowledge of the theorist (Burns et al., 2013). When a scholar develops a theory, it has to be tested through research. The findings of the study are then presented to experts in the area of academics and the field of practice (Burns et al., 2013). The presentation of the findings allows experts to provide constructive criticism, highlight the pros and cons of the theory, and acknowledge whether or not the theory can be accepted as a guide to practice. This theory evaluation paper will give the reader a theory description, theory analysis, and an assessment of Dorothea Orem’s self-care deficit theory of nursing (Alligood et al., 2010).

The theory focuses on the ability of a person to meet his or her own needs. Developed in the year 1970, Orem’s theory focused on the three various concepts, namely self-care, self-care deficit, and the nursing system. Self-care is a group of activities or processes that a person performs to maintain health, life, and wellbeing (Orem, 2001). For instance, self-care is being demonstrated when a chronic heart failure patient checks his or her weight daily, takes prescribes medications, and avoids salty foods. Self-care deficit happens when an individual is not able to provide effective self-care (Orem, 2011). Nurses are able to assist patients in this state by educating them with their disease condition and treatment compliance. A nursing

Dorothy Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory and Sister Callista Roy’s Adaptation Model are considered as grand nursing theories. The grand nursing theories are a

The theorist that I have chosen is Dorothea Orem. This theory describes the role of nursing in helping a patient’s who can no longer care for themselves (Mosby, 2009). The theory is divided into three parts; universal, developmental, and health deviation.

Person can refer to the patient himself or herself. In the metaparadigm of nursing, person refers to more than just the patient, but also the family members, friends, relatives, and caregivers from the home setting. The nurse’s goal when caring for the patient is to nurture and empower the patient to manage their own health. Dorthea Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory (SCDNT) supports this idea of empowering the person of the metaparadigm concept. Orem states that if the person is unable to take care of themselves then others must provide the care (Alligood, 2014). Orem states that individuals are subject to the forces of nature and her theory of self-care deficit states that

One nursing theory that has influenced my values and goals as a nurse is Jean Watsons Theory of human caring: Transpersonal Caring as the Fulcrum. Watson believed every person needs an interconnection with others and caring promotes this need. Through caring, a nurse can help the patient have balance and harmony of mind, body, and soul (Cherry & Jacob, 2014).

The second component of the Orem’s theory, Self-care deficit, is the inability for individual or parent to care themselves or provide care to maintain well being or health and is the situation when nursing is needed. In these circumstances, Orem indicates that nursing care and interventions are needed when the patient is in the self-care deficit. This is accomplished by offering physical and psychological support, teaching, and providing an environment to promote personal development to meet the patient needs. Nursing care will provide aid if the patient is not able to shave or wash themselves, or a guide if patient needs support when using their walking aid. Patient may also need emotional support, training and education to provide self-care if they are able but lack the skills. Nurses must assess the type of self-care deficits and provide nursing intervention as needed.

Developing a nursing philosophy is important to a nurse as it serves as a guide and is the foundation for personal nursing practice. Following a personal nursing philosophy can enhance your nursing career, make you a better nurse and improve patient outcomes. However, it is difficult to choose one nursing theorist, as there are viewpoints from several theorists that align with my personal theories. Choosing one theory is not only difficult, it is possible to change a theory during your nursing career or draw from various theories while working with patients and their families depending on the situation. Consequently, nurses are taught the foundation of multiple theorist and there does not seem to be one correct model. It is a matter of finding one that fits your

Research in the professional practice of nursing was built upon a wide variety of theories that were presented by many well-known nursing theorists. Nursing theories that may be recognized today include Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Theory, Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory, Madeleine Leininger’s Cultural Care Theory, and Hildegard Peplau’s Interpersonal Process Theory. These individuals and their respective theories

Core concepts are the basis for a theory or model; concepts help in the development of theories. Theorists have developed different models or theories but have common core concepts. This paper will identify the core concept of ‘the role of nursing,’ which two theorists, Dorothea Orem and Virginia Henderson both utilized. We will compare and analyze the concept definitions among both theorists, and discuss the practical use of Orem’s self care theory.

There are many different nursing theories that are significant to nursing practice, because they help nurses to examine what is already known, and what additional knowledge and skills are required in variety of nursing situations. They provide basis for nursing practice, as well as some additional tools, that help with delivery of better care to patients and caregivers. Finally, nursing theories improve professional status for nurses and provide guidance and direction for research and education (Colley, 2003).

PART 1 What is nursing theory? How does nursing theory differ from theories of other disciplines? How does nursing theory relate to nursing practice?

Dorothea Orem created the self-care theory in 1959 and continued to build upon her theory until 2001. The purpose of Orem’s theory was to define nursing, discuss the relationship among the nurse and the patient, and to promote a clear understanding of the scope of nursing (Taylor, Self-Care Deficit Theory of Nursing, 2006). Today, Orem’s theory is widely known and is utilized in nursing curriculum, as well as continuing education topics for healthcare providers.

The Self-Care Deficit Theory of Nursing impacts modern health as well as nursing more than expected during the theory’s creation and evolution. The Institute of Medicine (IOM, 2001) demanded the need for health care to shift from acute care setting management of disease. Consequently,