NUR1299 Foundations Of Nursing Practice

Introduction

Nursing theories should provide the principles that underpins the practice and help improving nursing knowledge. This paper aims to discuss about the roles of the nursing theory in modern nursing practice. The application of the nursing theory is important as despite the efforts to increase the academic credentials in nursing, the profession still lacks distinct expertise. It’s necessary to have a defined body of theory that should be able to enhance the professional status of the nurses, guidance for research and education, the communication between the nurses (Alligood, 2013). Since the crucial component of nursing; caring cannot be measured, so it needs to have a proper framework of nursing.

Important ideas

One of the most important point in this paper was found to be the incompatibility of the nursing theories with the evidence based concept. This can be supported by the example that, healthcare service users often feel distressed during their admission in a hospital that have strange environment. Instead of the positivist research theory, a humanistic approach supported by professional expertise and training should be used to guide the nurse. According to Alligood, (2013), a theory guided practice has established general protocols that the nurses are required to follow, which allows the nurse to take decisions based on a single standard protocol. On the other hand the

Evidence based practice involves the application of the test techniques as per the condition of the patient. Hence the concept of the nursing theory is not much compatible with EBP.

Another important point of this article is that, it was correct in pointing out the complexity of the nursing theories. Some complex terminologies such as Newman’s “ expanding consciousness” and Roger’s “ dynamic energy field deviate from the contemporary discourse of nursing as they are not comprehensible to the practitioners and hence the nursing theorists has worked at large from generation to generation to make the nursing theory more flexible and easier for the nurses to understand (McCrae, 2012). The paper has been right in pointing out that theories proposed by the early theorist were not comprehensible for the everyday application. According to () a nursing schools have tried to integrate the Roper-logan-Tierny model care, which further termed the nursing practice in to more ritualistic as  a part of the theory.

Criticism

Apart from the strengths of this paper, there are few points that I have found to be controversial or is not correct in its truesense, for example the paper claims the nursing theories to be irrelevant to modern health care. with the increase of the health care consumers the horizon of the nursing care have expanded largely, but that does not mean one has to shift from the nursing theories (Colley, 2003). The core concept of all the concepts of nursing is caring is in relevance with the present day nursing theory. For example, Dorothy Orem’s self-care theory plays an crucial role in the self-management of the patient. According to this theory it is the duty of the nurses to render the patient or the his family members who are capable of meeting the self-care requirements.

Another criticism of this paper is that it is being stated that nursing theories restrict the autonomy of the patient. While one part of this statement is true but it has to be remembered that it becomes very difficult for the nurse to rely on the managerial control (LoBiondo-Wood&Haber, 2017). Most of the nursing procedures take place as a one –to one interaction and application of theories to the therapeutic relationship is plausible.

The way in which the article relates to my professional practice

• The paper has helped me to understand the usefulness of the nursing theories and also the right method of their application. This article has helped me to understand what I actually know and what I still needs to know. It is to be remembered that a defined body of theories provides right directives to the nurses to deliver a safe patient care (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 2017). However I have also understood that the boundaries of the nursing are constantly changing and some of the theories simply are not a part of the everyday practice.
• The paper has helped me to understand the four elements of the nursing episteme like the Aesthetics, ethics, Emperics and personal knowing. As a nurse it is essential to inculcate scientific thinking among them. The recent nursing theories emphasizes on the varying theories of nursing. I have understood that nursing should be practiced as a practical experience rather than applied science and it is essential to have a realistic basis in nursing.

Conclusion

In conclusion it can be said that in the recent years the broad conceptual models and the theories gave been suppresses by the evidence based method of nursing. Hence there will always be a scope of infusing the nursing theories in the EBP nursing. Whatever might be the theories the core element of any nursing practices will be safety caring and compassion.

References

Alligood, M. R. (2013). Introduction to nursing: its history, significance, and analysis. Nursing Theorists and Their Work-E-Book, 1.

Colley, S. (2003). Nursing theory: its importance to practice. Nursing Standard (through 2013), 17(46), 33. https://search.proquest.com/openview/b3a3def0aa55eeb637403ec8331062ea/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=30130

https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=97fwAwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA2&dq=criticism+of+nursingbtheory&ots=F8ROge5zzu&sig=cUhehmtaKlP59mlspAr22guiWD8#v=onepage&q=criticism%20of%20nursingbtheory&f=false

LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (2017). Nursing Research-E-Book: Methods and Critical Appraisal for Evidence-Based Practice. Elsevier Health Sciences. https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=vGclDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=LoBiondo-Wood,+G.,+%26+Haber,+J.+(2017).+Nursing+Research-E-Book:+Methods+and+Critical+Appraisal+for+Evidence-Based+Practice.+Elsevier+Health+Sciences.&ots=9IUASEGYj4&sig=mG_NRCB_4xbnRSYKCA9Sbr3Yg8E#v=onepage&q=LoBiondo-Wood0Methods%20and%20Critical%20Appraisal%20for%20Evidence-Based%20Practice.%20Elsevier%20Health%20Sciences.&f=false

McCrae, N. (2012). Whither Nursing Models? The value of nursing theory in the context of evidence?based practice and multidisciplinary health care. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 68(1), 222-229. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011.05821.x