The Concept of Nursing Theories - Essay Example

Importance of Theory Affiliation Importance of Theory What is nursing theory? Nursing theory can be defined as the understanding of concepts that make up various features of reality that is concerned with nursing. Nursing theory provides knowledge that is utilized to sustain nursing as a professional practice. They also avail structures which connect research done on nursing, knowledge obtained from nursing research and nursing as a practice. A theory, as used in nursing theory is all about a single or certain particular real proposals and concepts. Based on their range and extent of abstraction, theories are different. Some nursing theories are broad while others are narrow. What is the difference between broad and narrow theories? The difference is that for narrow theories, they have a narrow range, are more real and practical. While for broad theories, they are termed as grand theories. Based on narrow theories, there is the middle – range theory. The middle range theory may be used to refer to narrow theories in particular (Davies, 2005). This paper specifically looks at the transition theory. Section one of this paper has an evaluation of the importance of nursing theory, broadly to nursing practice. Section two summarizes the main concepts and relationships of the chosen nursing theory. The third section avails a discussion of how the chosen nursing theory views nursing leadership, nursing education, nursing informatics or health policy along with 2 real life examples. The final section is the conclusion, whereby the ideas and comprehensions on nursing theory learned from writing this paper are shared. Importance of Nursing Theory Nursing theories are vital in nursing practice for various reasons that are not limited to those stated in this paper. As noted earlier, nursing theories avail a structure for critical thinking through which situations encountered in the nursing practice are evaluated. Each day in the nursing practice comes with new experiences. As these new experiences are met, nursing theories provide the structures for preparation, examination, and making decisions. Decision making is one of the most important aspects of nursing practice. A nurse must be accountable for every decision that he or she makes during practice. Nursing theories avail the framework for communication. Communication is key in nursing practice as it enables passing of vital information. Nursing theories facilitate communication among nurses and with other health professionals through the framework. Nursing as a discipline is faced by numerous beliefs, aims, and values. What nursing theories do is that they aid nursing as a discipline in explaining these aims, values, and beliefs (Leahy & Kizilay, 2005). With continued research, health care has gone on to evolve and advance day in day out. As such, it is important that nursing as a discipline which is important in health care provision goes on to broaden concepts that are required for health care provision. By broadening nursing concepts, nursing is able to meet the needs of each specific society it is practiced in. Hence, nursing theories are fundamental for the continuous progression and advancement of nursing. One of the main aims of nursing is provision of care to diagnosed clients. Nursing theories aid in describing the specific role nursing has to play in provision of care to clients. They ensure the spotlight of the role of nursing is clear. This way, better independence and management of specific features of nursing practice are realized (Leahy & Kizilay, 2005). New theories are developed every day, while existing nursing theories continue to be tested. How is this achieved? This is achieved through research on nursing which provides the knowledge needed to develop new theories or test current nursing theories in practice. It is up to the individual nurse as a profession to choose a specific nursing theory for use during his or her day today practice. The nurse may also select from various theories. This calls for proper and critical decision making. This way, nursing theories provide the nurse with options; they do away with limitations hence providing efficient tools for nursing (Leahy & Kizilay, 2005). Key Concepts and Relationships among Concepts of the Chosen Theory As stated earlier, it is up to the nurse to select the nursing theory that best suits the case at hand. The main concepts of the transition theory and their relationships are discussed in this section. However, first there is brief an overview of the concepts that are general in nursing theories. The four concepts that are general in nursing practice include the patient, environment, health, and nursing. These concepts determine nursing practice. Of the four, the patient is the most crucial because in spite of the nursing theory, the focus in nursing practice is usually the patient. The four concepts are normally described and defined differently in relation to the nursing theory (Leahy & Kizilay, 2005). The reason for selecting the middle range theory of transition is that evolution in health, health care and diseases bring about a transition process. Clients experiencing transition are more susceptible to fatal risks which influence their overall health. Comprehension of the transition procedure leads to discovery of these fatal risks which may aid in saving the life of the patient. Transition theory consists of various concepts. The main concepts of this theory are one, forms and model of transition. Transition forms comprise health ad illness transition. Health and illness transition comprise disease diagnosis, healing process and discharge from the health centre. The other transition form is developmental developmental transition that comprises parturition, adolescence menopause, aging, and death (Meleis, et al., 2000). There is also organizational transition that describes the varying forms of the environment influencing the client and health professionals working around them. The patterns of transition include complexity and multiplicity. This is depicted b many clients who express many transitions at a go. The transition process has various characteristics that comprise duration, vital points and occurrences, consciousness, engagement, variation and disparity. These characteristics are interrelated as one complex development. The facilitators and hindrances of the transition process manipulate the manner in which a client undergoes transition. They comprise personal situations and societal situations. Process and outcome signals indicate healthy reactions to nursing care. Process signals direct clients towards health or susceptibility. They permit nurses to conduct timely evaluations and undertake the required intervention. Outcome indicators are utilized to examine if the transition is healthy. Finally, there is nursing therapeutics. It consists of 3 procedures that can be applied in therapy. One is readiness, the other is preparation, and the third is supplementation. This theory addresses nursing’s metaparadigm through the concepts described above. These concepts allow the nurse to address the client’s health issue in a globally accepted manner. The way in which the concepts allow a nurse to address these health issues are wholly accepted in the nursing discipline. The purpose of this theory is to ensure smooth and healthy transitions. In the research area, it allows the development of interventions which shall enhance and enable healthy transition. The major concepts are linked logically. The relationship between these concepts is shown in their theoretical statements (Leahy & Kizilay, 2005). Its view on nursing leadership, education, health policies, and two real life examples Transition Theory has been utilized broadly in nursing education especially in undergraduate and graduate education globally. The interest in incorporating Transition Theory into nursing education is increasing each day. In various universities in the US, it has been used to develop the structure of the curriculum in nursing related education. At other universities, there is an elective course on health and transitions are there for selection at graduate level. Nursing leadership is a vital component of provision of healthcare in the nursing discipline. The nurse leader avails an environment in which nurses can be able to incorporate creativity, critical thinking, innovation, and smooth transition of new ideas from old ideas. It is here that the Transition Theory comes into play, transition of leadership ideas to conform to new concepts in the nursing discipline. The nurse leader cannot be a hindrance to nursing concepts that will enhance client diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment. Rather, by application of Transition Theory into nursing practice, then nursing leadership is enhanced, it becomes much simpler to effect changes. This allows the nursing leader to ensure that change is effected and it is applied with the client been the focus. Health policies related to nursing are created to ensure that nursing as a discipline follows the correct and approved criteria as approved globally. Health policies are bound to change in the modern world. This brings about what may be termed as health transition. Transition Theory promotes health transitions through its concepts. As a theory, its connection with health policies is that it enables the formation of better informed health policies. Health policy execution and formation is not just a random process, rather it requires time and transition from prior health policies. Davies (2005) and Weiss et al., (2007), have examined Transition Theory in their studies and both state of its simplicity and clarity. Transition theory has developed over time from been a theory of research studies to a major theory that influences nursing practice in a major way. In the current healthcare system, application of its concepts will allow nursing discipline to become much more client based as is its motive. The four concepts of nursing theories which Transition Theory emphasizes on are particularly important for nursing as a discipline. The overall importance of nursing theory is that it provides the nurse with the means to ensure that healthcare is availed using certain procedures that have been proved and ascertained through research. The view of Transitional Theory on leadership, education, and health policies is such that it aims at the improvement of nursing. References Davies, S. (2005). Meleis’s theory of nursing transitions and relatives’ experiences of nursing home entry. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 52(6), 658 – 671. Leahy, J., & Kizilay, P. (2005). Foundations of nursing practice; Nursing process Approach. New York,W. B.Saunders Meleis, A. I., Sawyer, L. M., Hilfinger Messias, D. K., & Schumacher, K. (2000). Experiencing transitions: an emerging middle – range theory. Advanced Nursing Science, 23(1), 12 – 28. Weiss, M. E., Piacentine, L. B., Lokken, L., et al. (2007). Perceived readiness for hospital discharge in adult medical – surgical patients. Clin Nurse Spec, 21(1), 31 – 42. . Read More