Importance of Theory in Nursing

As nurses seek answers about their patients, they must look to nursing theories for guidance. Theories help nurses sort through a patient’s complex health component, which may include many different aspects, from physical wellness to emotional well-being.

Most nurses, without even realizing it, use theory to guide their decisions and actions. Early exposure to nursing theory helps students NRS 493 Benchmark Capstone Project Change Proposal their role as nurse theorists and prepare them for a career that requires this knowledge-generating activity.

Theory Explains Nursing Practice

Nursing theories help nurses explain the nature of healthcare. They also provide a framework for nurses to follow when providing care for their patients. Nurses use a wide range of theory to create effective treatment plans for their patients.

A nursing theory consists of interrelated concepts. Grand theories offer a broad perception of the field while mid-range and practice-level nursing theories help govern specific types of patient care or certain health care scenarios.

The person concept is the most central to nursing theory. It includes individuals, families, groups and communities. Lydia Hall developed her Care, Cure, nrs 493 capstone project change proposal presentation theory, which focuses on three core elements of nursing: care, cure and core. It’s a theory that psychiatric mental health nurses frequently use to treat their patients with schizophrenia. The environment category describes the external circumstances that influence a patient’s well-being. Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care theory, for example, helps nurses understand how a Jehovah Witness patient who refuses blood transfusions might manage their condition.

Theory Helps Nurses Make Decisions

Nurses must be able to make a variety of decisions quickly and accurately. Nursing theories provide a framework to guide these decisions and help nurses understand the impact their actions may have on patients.

Nursing theory also provides a foundation for nursing research and practice. Nurses must continually stay abreast of new developments in medicine and technology, which is made easier when they have a strong base of nursing theory to draw upon.

In addition, nursing theory outlines how nurses should interact with patients and what types of care they should provide. The Cultural Care Theory, NRS 493 Individual Success Plan by Madeleine Leininger, for example, suggests that nurses should ensure patient care is consistent with the patients’ cultural or religious beliefs. This is important because it can make patients more comfortable and increase their willingness to follow health recommendations and attend medical appointments. It can also reduce stress levels, which is particularly crucial for patients with chronic conditions or mental illnesses.

Theory Helps Nurses Develop Evidence-Based Practice

Nursing theories are useful tools for nurses to use throughout their careers. As a nurse encounters new situations, such as working with a patient from a different culture, she can turn to her nursing theory for guidance. For example, the Nursing Need Theory by Virginia Henderson focuses on rebuilding patients’ independence to boost the rate of their recovery. It also emphasizes that a patient’s unique needs may differ from one another, which could require a more customized treatment plan.

Other nursing theories, like the nrs 493 topic 1 lopes activity tracker kr Caring Theory by Hildegard Peplau, prioritize empathy and establishing trust in nurse-patient relationships to promote healing. The Neuman Systems Model by Betty Neuman, meanwhile, guides nurses in treating psychiatric patients with a holistic approach, including mental and physical health.

Then there’s Lydia Hall’s Care, Cure, Core Theory, which focuses on elements that nursing should include: care for patients, cures through medical treatments, and core concepts such as compassion, respect, and integrity. These concepts, among others, form the foundation for nursing.

Theory Helps Nurses Communicate

A strong understanding of nursing theory provides a solid foundation for nurses to build upon as they advance in their careers. Nurses can use their knowledge of theories when working with patients and when educating other nurses about best practices in the field.

Nursing theory can also help nurses communicate better with patients. By creating a professional and communicative relationship with their patients that is rooted in compassion, nurses can increase the likelihood of patients listening to their health recommendations.

Various nursing theories have NR501 Importance of Theory in Nursing developed over the years, with each offering something unique to the profession. For example, Florence Nightingale’s environmental theory focused on the role that a patient’s environment plays in their overall medical health. Other nursing theorists like Madeleine Leininger created the Cultural Care Theory, which focuses on the idea that patient care should be congruent with a patient’s religious or spiritual beliefs.