Key Concepts of Nursing Theory

Nursing theory represents how nurses try to understand the complexity of the best nursing practice, especially in human lives, under varied circumstances

A difference or a disconnect between knowledge about nursing and the application of that knowledge in real-world nursing practice

The body of knowledge based on scientific research and theories related to nursing practice.

The organized steps or process that nurses use to give patient care, including assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation.

A broad explanatory theory about nursing. It strives to provide a comprehensive understanding.

A theory that focuses on specific aspects or problems of nursing practice, providing a more specific explanation.

A building block in theory. It represents an idea or a phenomenon that is important to a theory.

A set of concepts and their relationships that helps organize and guide nursing practice.

To provide a systematic way of understanding, predicting, and directing nursing actions. It explains and prescribes nursing phenomena.

A pivotal figure in nursing who formalized nursing as a profession. Her work developed early theoretical and conceptual models for nursing.

A descriptive theory that framed nursing practice around patients and their environments.

A unique combination of knowledge and principles guiding professional nursing practice.

Draws from health sciences, physical sciences, social and behavioural sciences, social theory, ethical theory, and the philosophy of science.

The need to articulate how nurses' roles differ from other health professionals in the context of growing healthcare sophistication.

A traditional method of nursing training that used to involve apprenticeships and physician lectures.

Scientific discoveries, technological advancements, and societal shifts that influenced healthcare and nursing practice after WWII.

The development of nursing theories emerged in the 1960s due to a changing healthcare system, technological advancements and nurses expressing their unique role.

Nursing theories are not propositional, as they do not always fit the criteria of empirical evidence-based models.

The first step in the nursing process where nurses gather information about the patient's health status, including biological, social, and psychological factors.

A statement that describes a patient's health problem or risk based on the nurse's assessment.

The second step in the nursing process where nurses develop a plan of care based on the patient's needs and the nursing diagnosis.

The third step in the nursing process where nurses carry out the plan of care developed in the planning phase.

The final step in the nursing process where nurses assess the effectiveness of the interventions and make adjustments as needed.

The process of forming concepts and defining them.

A description of a concept that makes it practical for use in nursing practice, linking it to theories and other concepts.

A set of assumptions or propositions about concepts that explains, predicts, or prescribes phenomena within nursing.

A statement accepted as true or factual, forming the foundation for a theory.

A statement about the relationship between two or more concepts.

An aspect of reality that can be observed or experienced, relevant to nursing.

A representation of how something works, providing a mental picture of the components and their relationships.

To provide a framework for organizing and synthesizing knowledge to develop clinical reasoning skills in nurses.

Grand theory, Middle-range theory, Descriptive theory, and Prescriptive theory.

Describes and explains nursing phenomena, including why they happen.

Guides specific nursing interventions and predicts their outcomes.

Core concepts of nursing that define its focus and provide a framework for understanding.

Person, Environment, Health, and Nursing.

The individual receiving care, considered in their unique context.

The broader context in which the person exists, including social, physical, and cultural factors.

A multi-dimensional concept encompassing physical, mental, and social well-being.

The professional practice of caring for individuals and their families.

Client emphasizes inclusivity and a collaborative relationship with those receiving care.

They provide a structure for nurses to understand complex situations and make informed decisions about care.

To tailor interventions to the unique needs and characteristics of each person.

Nursing aims to improve the health of both individuals and society, taking a broader view beyond just treating illness.

Health is not just the absence of disease but a state of total well-being, a positive goal for everyone.

These models provided a structure for nursing practice, linking patient care with their environment and goals.

Each framework presented a unique set of beliefs about nursing, leading to competition and debate about dominance.

Over time, using the frameworks became too rigid, leading to a focus on form over function.

Nursing theories were initially built on a scientific approach, testing how knowledge works.

Traditional science struggles with complex human problems, prompting nurses to consider other ways of knowing.

Kuhn introduced the idea that major scientific advances happen when people think differently.

New ideas can solve problems that once seemed impossible, like quantum physics explaining the behavior of tiny particles.

Chaos theory led to a new way of understanding complex systems, looking at their smallest components.

This theory helped nurses see how individual experiences influence health and illness, moving beyond simple cause-and-effect.

Nurses recognized that science is just one source of knowledge, needing other perspectives to fully guide practice.

Complex situations in nursing require understanding how various components interact and influence each other.

The development of nursing science goes hand-in-hand with its application in real-world practice, and vice versa.

Different types of knowledge nurses use in practice, such as empirical science, ethics, personal experience, and aesthetics.

Understanding how social and political structures influence health and well-being.

Recognizing and challenging power imbalances in healthcare to empower patients.

Discussions about how to define nursing as both an art and science, as applied and practical.

Conceptual frameworks that view patients as fragmented parts, focused on specific aspects.

Conceptual frameworks that see patients holistically, emphasizing interconnectedness.

North American Nursing Diagnosis Association, a group that created a standardized list of nursing diagnoses.

Debate on whether to use NANDA's fixed list or the theoretically infinite options for nursing care provided by conceptual models.

Trying to understand how skilled nurses think, reason, and make decisions in complex situations.

Appreciation for how past theorists developed ideas within their own time and constraints.

Providing a foundation for understanding and improving nursing practice, informing clinical reasoning.

Balancing the creative and intuitive aspects of nursing with the scientific evidence and knowledge.

A specialized field with a unique body of knowledge, skills, and ethics, focused on patient care.

Nursing theory and practice continually evolve in response to changing healthcare needs and advancements.

Nightingale's focus on the environment as a key factor in health and healing, shifting nursing's role from disease treatment to fostering healing.

Nightingale's work provided the first set of principles for nursing practice, emphasizing the importance of environment and patient care.

These theories reflected the specific time periods they emerged from, capturing the issues shaping nursing roles and contexts.

Nightingale focused on creating a healing environment, prioritizing factors like clean spaces, fresh air, and suitable nourishment.

Nightingale recognized the environment's crucial role in promoting health and recovery, highlighting its influence on patient outcomes.

Nightingale's work differentiated nursing from medicine by emphasizing the independent role of nursing in creating a healing environment.

Model builders drew inspiration from various disciplines like social and psychological theories, forming a diverse range of ideas.

Early nursing models were influenced by a variety of intellectual traditions, demonstrating the breadth of thinking in the field.

Key events in the development of nursing theory, showcasing the evolution of ideas and practices.

The goal is to understand the wide range of perspectives and approaches that shaped nursing theory development.

A practice-based theory that emphasizes promoting health rather than treating illness, focusing on the family as a unit, and prioritizing family goals over the nurse's.

Fundamental requirements for a person's well-being, including physical, psychological, and social needs. These needs must be met for an individual to thrive.

The ability of an individual to independently manage their own health and well-being.

The interactions and relationships between individuals, with a focus on communication and social behavior.

A theory that views the individual and their environment as interconnected parts of a dynamic system.

A theory that emphasizes the individual's ability to adapt to environmental changes and stressors for optimal function.

A holistic view of the person as a complex, interconnected whole, encompassing physical, mental, and spiritual aspects.

A central aspect of nursing that involves providing compassionate, empathetic, and responsive care to individuals.

A community health facility established by Moyra Allen to demonstrate the McGill model of nursing, focusing on long-term family health.

A theory that proposes a hierarchical structure of human needs, starting with basic physiological needs and progressing to self-actualization.

A theoretical framework identifying 14 essential human needs that nurses should assist individuals in meeting.

A theory that proposes that nursing care should focus on assisting individuals in achieving self-care, addressing their deficits.

A view of nursing that emphasizes assisting individuals to restore their independence and satisfy their basic human needs.

A belief that humans have an inherent capacity for self-care and can be empowered to manage their own health.

A model that emphasizes the importance of meeting basic human needs to promote health and well-being. It focuses on how biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors influence an individual's experience of illness and health.

A theory that emphasizes the individual's responsibility in maintaining their health. It focuses on the idea that individuals can meet their own basic needs through self-care. Nurses act as temporary support until the individual can resume an independent role.

These are fundamental needs every individual has: 1) Maintaining sufficient intake of air, water, and food. 2) Regulating activity and rest. 3) Managing elimination processes. 4) Preventing hazards to health. 5) Promoting well-being and potential.

These theories focus on the relationship between a nurse and their patient, highlighting communication and behavioral patterns. They draw on psychological theories, highlighting the therapeutic relationship.

This theory emphasizes the nurse-patient relationship as a therapeutic process. It views nursing as a collaborative journey, supporting the patient's independence and self-discovery.

This theory focuses on the meaning of illness and suffering, emphasizing the existential perspective. It highlights the nurse's role in helping the patient find meaning in their experiences.

It fosters trust and understanding between a nurse and patient, allowing for open communication, identification of needs, and collaboration in care.

To provide guidance and support to the patient in coping with illness. The nurse helps the patient find meaning in their experience and acknowledge their humanity.

This theory emphasizes the interconnectedness of parts within any system. It helps understand how different elements work together to create the whole system.

They help nurses understand the entire person in context, considering their environment and interactions with other systems.

A set of assumptions or propositions that explains, predicts, and prescribes phenomena.

Nursing educators were the primary force behind early nursing theories.

The original nursing process involved Assessment, Planning, Intervention, and Evaluation.

Early nursing theorists aimed to organize and apply general nursing knowledge to individual patients.

According to Kuhn, major scientific advances come from creative individuals approaching problems in new ways.

The McGill model focuses on promoting health rather than treating illness.

Hildegard Peplau believed that interacting therapeutically, developing the nurse-patient relationship, and understanding patient behavior are fundamental to nursing practice.

Evelyn Adam emphasized the helping process as the core of nursing.

Systems theories view the human being as a whole with interacting parts.

A way of understanding how nursing interventions within a system (like a patient) affect the whole system, including its parts and how they interact.

This model describes individuals as having seven subsystems, each with goals, behaviors, and choices for meeting those goals. These subsystems work together to create a behavioral system.

These are universal urges or drives that all individuals have, but are unique to each person in how they express them.

Inspired by Johnson, this model expands Johnson's seven subsystems into nine basic human needs, influenced by a person's environment.

Universal needs that are fundamental to human experience, shaped by individual circumstances and environment to produce unique behaviors.

Focuses on the client as a whole, not broken into parts, looking at physical, mental, social, and spiritual aspects, with a focus on preventing stressors.

The whole individual, including innate and unique characteristics. Stressors affect the system causing reactions and need for nursing intervention.

This model views the person as a system that adapts to their environment, with four modes of adaptation: physical, self-concept, roles, and relationships.

Two internal processes that allow individuals to adapt to their environment: the cognator uses thinking, while the regulator uses reflex responses.

The individual is a complete and inseparable being, not reducible to parts. This view emphasizes wholeness and interconnectedness.

This model views the person as an energy field in constant interaction with the environment, which is also an energy field.

To promote balance and well-being in the whole person, considering their interaction with their environment.

Nurse interventions should focus on the entire system and how it interacts with its parts to promote health and well-being.

Each nursing model focuses on different aspects of the person and their interaction with the environment, leading to various approaches to care..

A philosophy of care that focuses on promoting health and healing by working with and strengthening patients' inherent capacities.

Knowledge systems and practices rooted in the experiences and wisdom of Indigenous peoples, including traditional healing practices and cultural values.

The dynamic interaction between theory and practice, where knowledge is constantly evolving and applied in real-world situations.

A philosophy of care that emphasizes the individual's needs, preferences, and values, promoting autonomy and self-determination.

The complex and dynamic connections between theoretical concepts and their application in real-world nursing practice.

The underlying philosophical assumptions and values that shape nursing practice, influencing how nurses understand their role and approach to care.

The dynamic and changing nature of nursing practice, influenced by scientific advancements, societal shifts, and evolving healthcare needs.

Rogers' nursing theory emphasizes the individual as a constantly changing energy field, aiming to help them achieve their maximum health potential in the context of continuous change.

A concept in Rogers' theory emphasizing the balance and harmony within a person's energy field, despite constant change.

This theory sees the individual as a free and everchanging being, co-creating their life experiences with the universe.

These are the three main ways nurses engage with people in their 'becoming': explicating (understanding), dwelling with (sharing experiences), and moving beyond (helping them progress).

Watson's theory emphasizes nursing as inherently about caring, seeing the individual as a whole, encompassing mind, body, and spirit, and connecting to the universe.

Nursing has its own unique scientific basis, drawing from various disciplines, but it must have its own distinct body of knowledge that distinguishes it from other healthcare professions.

One of the biggest challenges in nursing theory is applying general knowledge to specific, individual patient situations and ensuring that these applications are clear and meaningful.

Liaschenko's three levels of abstraction in nursing theory, encompassing the specific details of a case, the individual needs of the patient, and the overall humanity of the person.

These are factors that influence the health and well-being of individuals beyond their individual choices, like socioeconomic conditions, access to resources, and social networks.

A type of nursing theory that aims to challenge power structures and inequalities in healthcare to empower patients.

Watson's idea that caring in nursing is not just an action but a moral obligation, reflecting a deep respect for the individual and their inherent worth.

Thinking critically about right and wrong in nursing practice, considering principles like autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice.

Nursing theory informs practice, while practice provides real-world testing ground for theories, leading to continuous refinement and improvement.