Nursing Theories Overview

Nursing Theories: Definitions

• Nursing theories are a creative and rigorous structuring of ideas that project a tentative, purposeful, and systematic view of phenomena.
• Nursing theories conceptualize some aspect of nursing reality.
• Nursing theories communicate for the purpose of describing phenomena and relationships between phenomena.
• They also predict consequences or prescribe nursing care.

Nursing Theories: Components

• Assumptions are the basis of how concepts are described and related.
• Concepts provide a specific description of phenomena.
• Narratives explain assumptions, concepts, and relationships between concepts.
• Exemplars illustrate the theory.

The Nursing Meta Paradigm

• A metaparadigm is a combination of frameworks considered essential to a discipline.
• The nursing metaparadigm includes assumptions about the person (human beings), health, nursing, and the environment.

Nursing Theories: Classified

• Nursing theories can be classified by the level of their focus, ranging from practice to mid-range to grand theories.
• Nursing theories can also be classified by their underlying assumptions, including needs systems, interaction, energy fields, and self-care deficits.

Nursing Theorists and their Theories

• Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory focuses on self-care, self-care deficits, and nursing agency.
• Peplau's Interpersonal Relations Theory concentrates on the nurse-patient relationship, therapeutic encounter, and nursing roles.
• Neuman's Systems Model emphasizes the client as an open system interacting with the environment.
• Rogers' Science of Unitary Human Beings focuses on energy fields and pan-dimensionality.

Key Concepts of Major Nursing Theories

• Orem's Key Concepts: conditioning factors, self-care agency, self-care demand, nursing agency, and nursing systems.
• Peplau's Key Concepts: nurse-client relationship, therapeutic encounter, and nursing roles.
• Neuman's Key Concepts: client system, lines of defense, stressors, prevention as intervention, and reconstitution.
• Rogers' Key Concepts: energy field, pan-dimensionality, principles of change (resonancy, helicy, and integrality).

Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory

• The theory focuses on the individual’s ability to perform self-care and the nurse’s role in supporting that ability.
• The key components are self-care agency, self-care demand, and nursing agency.
• The theory suggests that individuals have a responsibility to care for themselves but may require assistance due to self-care deficits.

Peplau's Interpersonal Relations Theory

• The theory emphasizes the nurse-patient relationship and the importance of the nurse's professional expertise in meeting the patient's needs.
• It describes how the nurse and patient can interact and work together to achieve the patient's desired outcomes.

Nursing Theorists & Metaparadigm: Comparison

• The table highlights the differences and similarities in how key concepts are addressed in these major nursing theories.
• Notably, the theories have diverse perspectives on the person, health, nursing, and the environment.
• Orem's theory focuses on self-care deficits, Peplau's emphasizes the nurse-patient relationship, Neuman's highlights systems, and Rogers' concentrates on energy fields.