Nursing Definitions

Definitions of Nursing

• Nursing, according to Nightingale in 1860, involves utilizing a patient's environment to aid their recovery.
• The unique function of a nurse is to assist individuals, sick or well, to perform activities contributing to health or recovery, or peaceful death, unaided if they have the necessary strength, will, or knowledge, and to help them rapidly gain independence.
• Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care for individuals of all ages, families, groups, and communities in all settings.
• Nursing includes health promotion, illness prevention, and care for the ill, disabled, and dying, as well as advocacy, safe environment promotion, research, shaping health policy, health systems management, and education (ICN, 2002).
• Nursing promotes health, prevents illness, and cares for the physically and mentally ill, and disabled of all ages and addresses "responses to actual or potential health problems" (ANA, 1980).
• Nursing uses clinical judgment and care to enable people to promote, improve, maintain, and/or recover health or, when death is inevitable, to die peacefully (RCN, 2002).

Who nurses are

• A nurse must complete a basic, generalized nursing education program.
• A nurse also needs authorization from the appropriate regulatory authority.
• Basic nursing education provides a foundation in behavioral, life, and nursing sciences.
• It prepares individuals for general nursing practice, leadership, and post-basic education for specialty or advanced nursing practice.
• Nurses are authorized to engage in the general scope of nursing practice.
• Scope of nursing practice includes health promotion, illness prevention, and care for the physically/mentally ill, and disabled in all settings.
• Nurses carry out health care teaching.
• Nurses fully participate as members of the health care team.
• Nurses supervise and train nursing and health care auxiliaries.
• Nurses can be involved in research (ICN, 1987).

What is a theory?

• A theory is a logical system of concepts which provides a framework for organizing and understanding observations.
• A theory explains certain behaviors or situations and how they can be changed.
• Understanding theories requires consideration of: theory as a structured set of ideas, theory as a set of social practices, and the purpose of theory.
• Theories are formally stated with defined terms, tested/evaluated, consistent with scientific ideas, and structured. Theories have statements about observational data, theoretical propositions connecting different observations, and philosophical assumptions.
• Theories originate and are maintained by scientific communities, as such understanding a theory requires participation in the activities of that community.
• The scientific community operates around textbooks, journals, and conferences

Purpose of theory

• Theories explain phenomena by specifying a set of causal factors responsible for the event.
• Theories predict future events by applying a causal framework to the design of machines and technology.
• Theories are used to interpret events with the aim of understanding them.

Role of Theory

• Every theory in clinical practice informs the practitioner by defining the problem, identifying the cause, explaining how and under what conditions people change.
• A theory offers the unit of analysis or focus of treatment and identifies the goal of intervention, counselling, therapy, or clinical practice.
• Different theories conceptualize the definition and explanation regarding etiology as well as the focus/goal of treatment differently for the same health problem:
• Biological theorists view depression as a malfunction in brain activity, treatable with drugs.
• Cognitive theorists view depression as maladaptive behavior, treatable with counseling.

Why we need theories

• Theories provide structure in the midst of chaos.
• Theories offer concepts for systematic thinking, such as identifying what a person is doing, how they are doing it, and under what conditions.
• Theories can offer the client a way of making sense.
• Theories establish professional status and allow the creation of knowledge communities.

What are nursing theories?

• Nursing theories are organized bodies of knowledge defining what nursing is and what nurses do.
• Nursing theories define nursing as a unique discipline separate from others.
• Nursing theories are a framework of concepts and purposes to guide nursing practice at a concrete level.
• Nursing as a profession recognizes its unique body of knowledge vital to practice: nursing science.
• Nursing as a science is based on the theory of what nursing is, what nurses do, and why, which is separate from medicine.
• Nursing theories make up the body of knowledge on which delivery of care draws.

Metaparadigm of Nursing

• Metaparadigm of nursing involves a set of concepts and propositions that sets forth the phenomena with which a discipline is concerned.

Components of nursing theories

• A theory is made up of concepts, definitions, relational statements, and assumptions that explain a phenomenon.

Science & Knowledge

• Science is the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of natural phenomena.
• Science is also a body of knowledge.
• Knowledge is an awareness or perception of reality acquired through learning or investigation.

Phenomenon

• A phenomenon is a description of an idea or response about an event, situation, process, or group of events/situations.
• Phenomena can be temporary or permanent.
• Nursing theories focus on the phenomena of nursing.

Concepts

• Concepts are words or phrases that identify, define, and establish structure and boundaries for ideas generated about a particular phenomenon.
• Abstract concepts are mentally constructed independently of a specific time or place.
• Concrete concepts are directly experienced and related to a particular time or place.

Definitions

• Definitions convey the general meaning of the concepts of a theory.
• Theoretical definitions define a concept based on the theorist's perspective.
• Operational definitions state how concepts are measured.

Relational statements

• Relational statements define the relationships between two or more concepts.
• They link concepts to one another.

Assumptions

• Assumptions are accepted as truths based on values and beliefs.
• Assumptions explain the nature of concepts, definitions, purpose, relationships, and structure of a theory.

Importance of nursing theories

• Nursing theories help recognize the foundation of practice by explicitly describing nursing and its respective theories, therefore help nurses understand their purpose and role in healthcare settings.
• Theories provide a rationale or scientific reasons for interventions and a knowledge base for acting appropriately in nursing care.
• Nursing theories lay the foundations of nursing practice, generate further knowledge, and indicate the future development of nursing (Brown, 1964).
• Nursing theory gives nurses a sense of identity and lets healthcare professionals understand the nurses' contribution to healthcare (Draper, 1990).
• Nursing theories prepare nurses to question the assumptions and values of nursing, which defines nursing and increases the knowledge base.
• Nursing theories define, predict, and demonstrate nursing phenomenon (Chinn & Jacobs, 1978).
• Theories maintain and preserve professional limits/boundaries of nursing and guide knowledge development, education, research, and practice (Fitzpatrick and Whall, 2005).

Purposes of nursing theory

• Nursing theory aims to improve practice by positively influencing the health and quality of life of patients.
• Nursing theory outlines nursing care and guides practice, providing a basis for clinical decision-making.