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Importance of Theory in Nursing

Every profession has particular theories that guide the mode of practice and also the mode of service delivery. As such, in the nursing field, there are several theories that guide the mode of practice. Nursing theories are useful in describing, developing, disseminating, and use of the present knowledge in nursing. The mode of practice of every nurse has a basis on a particular nursing theory (Alligood, 2013). Also, the personal philosophy of the job, the work ethics, the behavior, and the treatment offered to the patients has a basis on specific nursing theories.

For the purpose of the current research work, much focus will be on the self-care deficit theory developed by Dorothea Orem. Her vision of health is a condition characterized by a state of wholeness in the human structures and of both ****** and mental functioning. The theory includes the physical, physiological, interpersonal, and the social aspects of health. According to Orem, individuals should have self-reliance and be responsible for their care and the care of others. The understanding of the potential health problems is essential for the promotion of self-care behaviors. Orem described nursing as a form of art, a helping service, and technology (Alligood, 2013).

Significance of Nursing Theories basing on Orem’s theory of self-care 

Orem’s general theory of nursing has three related sections of the theory of self-care, self-care deficit, and the nursing system. The theory has immense significance in nursing. Self-care deficit theory helps to assess the patient conditions by use of the various methods explained. The assessment entails data collection by use of the basic conditioning factors and the universal self-care requisites (O’Shaughnessy, 2014). The basic conditions applied include the age, gender, health state, development state, the social, cultural orientation, the family system, the environment, and the patterns of living. The health state helps to form the basis of the care services provided, and the social, cultural orientation helps to identify the level of education. It establishes whether the patient can adhere to the care services provided by themselves or by the help of another person with a higher level of education. The nature of the environment helps to establish the prevailing conditions that may affect the health of the patient in question. The universal self-care requisites of concern in nursing include air, water, food, social interaction, activity, prevention of hazards, and the promotion of normalcy among others. Data collection is a comprehensive process in nursing whereby the care provider seeks to acquire all the useful information in the differential diagnosis.

It also helps to identify the needs of the patient and demonstrate effective communication and interaction between the care provider and the patient. The theory helps to undergo the nursing process to determine the self-care deficits and define the roles of the person to meet the self-care demands (O’Shaughnessy, 2014). They are the technical components of the nursing process comprising of assessment, diagnosis with a scientific rationale, as well as implementation and evaluation. In the assessment stage, the theory assists in the diagnosis and prescription to determine the need for nursing. Next is to analyze and interpret the results and design a nursing system to plan for the delivery of care.

The self-care deficit theory helps in nursing diagnosis in which the nurse designs a system that is wholly or partly compensatory or supportive-educative. The nurse ensures that there is a good organization of the components of the therapeutic self-care demands and also selects ways that will be effective and efficient in addressing the self-care deficits. The theory is also significant in the implementation and evaluation of the nursing care. The nurse assists the patient to achieve the related health outcomes and also gathers evidence to evaluate the results as specified in the nursing system design.

Another significance of the nursing theory is in meeting the therapeutic self-care demand. It is necessary to maintain a health status and manage the disease process by adhering to the medical regimen. Also important is being aware of the potential problems in nursing. The self-care theory also assists in defining the methods of offering nursing care. It can be through guidance and directing, teaching, and providing physical support as required by the patient (Berbiglia, 2011). Other methods of providing nursing care include the encouragement of personal development, as well as providing the psychological support on demand basis.

The self-care deficit theory is also essential in the promotion of the self-care requisites. They include the adherence to the medical regimen, being aware of the problems associated with the regimen, modification of the self-image to include the changes in the health status, and the adjustment of lifestyle to fit the changes in the health status.

Conclusion

The theory provides a comprehensive basis for the nursing practice and has applications in professional nursing in the fields of practice, education, administration, and in research. The approach defined in self-care aligns with the concepts of health promotion and the health maintenance. A significant limitation of the theory is focusing on illness as the main aspect of nursing thereby limiting its application in other aspects of health care. However, the theory helps to establish the significance of nursing theories as described.

 

References

Alligood, M. R. (2013). Nursing theorists and their work. Elsevier Health Sciences

Berbiglia, V. A. (2011). The Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory as a curriculum conceptual             framework in baccalaureate education. Nursing science quarterly, 24(2), 137-145

O’Shaughnessy, M. (2014). Application of Dorothea Orem’s theory of self-care to the elderly        patient on peritoneal dialysis: Nephrology Nursing Journal, 41(5), 495

Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in custom research paper writing service if you need a similar paper you can place your order for essay custom writing services.

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