Nursing Theory
What Is Nursing Theory?
Musker (2017) simplifies the definition of nursing theory as a framework of organized concepts and purposes that have been designed to offer guidance in the nursing practice. Additionally, nursing theory helps in defining the nurses’ roles are, and why they do what they do. The nursing framework also assists in shaping the various parameters pf patient care and delivery. Without nursing theories, the entire concept of nursing practice would become unorganized, thus lacking a narrow focus. As reiterated by Lange (2016), nursing theories are divided into either ‘grand theories,’ ‘middle-range’ or ‘nursing-practice theories.’
Is Nursing Theory Important To The Profession?
For starters, nursing theory helps us nurses define and differentiate between what we know from what we ought to do. It does this by explicitly describing what nursing entails. The benefit of identifying and discerning different aspects of nursing is to provide quality patient care, offer improved nurse-to-nurse communication, and improve research and nursing education. Also, since the central concept of nursing is “caring,” which cannot be measured, it is essential to analyze and explain what nurses should do.
According to Musker (2017), the nursing profession is moving towards adopting a multidisciplinary approach; however, it continues to strive by “establishing an exclusive body of knowledge” (p.103). Such changes in the profession are noticeable as an attempt to maintain a professional boundary between different nursing disciplines. The issue of changing professionalism is blurred by the fact that the relationship between nurses and medical practitioners is always static (Valentine et al., 2020). For instance, nurses are increasingly and continuously extending their scope of nursing practice by performing various tasks that were once left for medical doctors. Most of the nursing roles are now being transferred to the healthcare assistants. Due to such fast-evolving roles in the nursing profession, it is now imperative to define their roles, hence the importance of nursing theory.
How Important Is It To The Nursing Practitioners?
No doubt, nursing theories cannot be ignored in our daily practice. Nurses usually employ various theories in their practice, which is more effective than using one single approach. The diversity in applying the methods enables nurses to choose the best fit for a particular situation. By offering nurses a clear sense of identity, a nursing theory allows us to help patients, medical practitioners, and the managerial team. As Lange (2016) concurred, the sense of identity helps recognize the nurses’ unique contribution to healthcare services. Moreover, a formal definition of the nursing theory affords nurses the capability to understand their roles and how it helps change the medical practice.
In an ideal healthcare setting, nursing theories are effective in offering the right and adequate underpinnings when taking care of patients. For the most part, nursing theories help nurses use critical thinking as an analytical skill to improve on concept comprehension (Malinski, 2018). Through the nursing theories, patient care is improved, new knowledge and data are innovated, and communication between the professionals is enhanced. All these aspects help influence the future of the nursing practice.
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Nursing theory is vital to both the profession and the practitioners because it bridges the theoretical hypothesis and the practical application of nursing. As nurses, it helps us offer effective patient care whereby we apply grand, middle-range, and nursing-practice theories. The theory gives us a sense of identity, which is essential in providing the right patient care.
References
Lange, C. (2016). Nursing and the importance of body language. Nursing, 46(4), 48-49. Doi:10.1097/01.nurse.0000481421.03964.34. Retrievable at https://bit.ly/31p3weI
Malinski, V. (2018). The Importance of a Nursing Theoretical Framework for Nursing Practice: Rogers’ Science of Unitary Human Beings. Cultura Del Cuidado, 15(2), 6-13. Doi:10.18041/1794-5232/cultrua.2018v15n2.5108. Retrievable at https://bit.ly/2NDa69j
Musker, K. (2017). Nursing Theory-Based Independent Nursing Practice. Advances In Nursing Science, 34(1), 67-77. Doi:10.1097/ans.0b013e31820944b1. Retrievable at https://bit.ly/2YFFudG
Valentine, J., Sekula, L., & Lynch, V. (2020). Evolution of Forensic Nursing Theory——Introduction of the Constructed Theory of Forensic Nursing Care. Journal Of Forensic Nursing, Publish Ahead of Print(5), 45-48. Doi:10.1097/jfn.0000000000000287. Retrievable at https://bit.ly/2NHJKTq