Nursing Theories and Frameworks Part 1

Nursing Theory Development

• Nursing evolved from concepts to conceptual frameworks, models, theories, and finally to middle-range theories in its current utilization era.
• Historical significance of theory in nursing highlights its role in education and practice as specialized fields.
• Understanding the theory development process is essential for comprehending the discipline's theoretical foundations.

Evolution of Nursing Periods

• Intuitive Period: Nursing was instinctive and based on compassion; roles were focused on comforting, midwifery, and caregiving without formal training.
• Apprentice Period, Educational Period, Contemporary Period: Specific characteristics and contributions of these periods were not detailed but follow the intuitive period in nursing development.

Intuitive Period (Primitive Era - 6th Century)

• Nursing functioned primarily as a woman’s role involving caregiving without structured training.
• Early beliefs linked illness to evil spirits, with shamans or witch doctors taking on healing roles through magical practices.
• Trephination was a noted ancient surgical procedure involving drilling into the skull to treat ailments.

Prehistoric Medical Practices

• Utilized various unconventional methods, including:
  • Mercury treatments
  • Bloodletting using leeches
  • Lobotomies and early forms of ECT
  • Trephining and even cannibalistic practices.

Contributions from Early Civilizations

• Mesopotamia:
  • Integrated rational science with magical practices; diagnostic handbooks documented symptoms with empirical observations.
  • Medical authority included Asipu, skilled in both healing and exorcism.
• Egypt:
  • Egyptians noted for their advanced public health systems and were described as the healthiest men.
  • Edwin Smith Papyrus provided detailed medical knowledge, eschewing magical explanations.
  • Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus addressed women’s health issues, evidence of systematic medical practice.

Medical Advances in Ancient Egypt

• Peseshet recognized as one of the earliest known female physicians.
• Ancient texts from India like the Atharvaveda laid the groundwork for the Ayurvedic system focusing on long-term wellbeing.
• Significant contributions from Charaka and Sushruta included comprehensive descriptions of medical treatments and surgical procedures.

Health Practices in Greece and the Roman Empire

• Emphasized wound treatments and maintaining health; illness perceived as weakness, thus caregiving was often relegated to slaves.