Application of Middle Range Theory to Problem - Research Paper Example

APPLICATION OF MIDDLE RANGE THEORY TO PROBLEM This is a theory which is inclusive, organized and and has a limited scope.Middle range theories carry those variables that have to be proven and tested i.e. their relationship with research and practice is stronger (Nightingale & Valle?e, 2001). It mainly focuses on the concepts of pain, grief, hope, comfort, and quality of life to patients. In addition, mid-range theory focuses on the relationship between nursing and the patients’ environment.

This theory was pioneered by Florence Nightingale. She was born in Florence Italy on 12 May 1820. Florence was a second daughter of William and Frances, who was very wealthy. And that made her mother, Frances, to want her to be married to a rich man, however, Florence a devout Christian at age 17 and realized that God called her to serve Him so she could not get married to the man. Even though could not make out how God wanted her to serve him, she, however, discovered it in 1944 and started nursing the sick (Nightingale & Valle?e, 2001). This really horrified her parents because by that time nursing was not a respectable job since nurses were often drunk coupled with dreadful conditions of the hospitals.

The family really tried to stop her, but she was determined to sacrifice herself even though she had no nursing experience. This made her go to Kaiserwerth in Germany in 1851 to learn (Nightingale & Valle?e, 2001). In 1853, Nightingale was offered her first post of reorganizing a small hospital in Harvey Street, London known as the Institution for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen in Distressed Circumstances. While here, she did an excellent job of reorganizing the hospital. Because of this she was invited to go on a mission to the soldiers who are wounded while fighting the Russians by Sidney Herbert the Secretary of War.

On reaching there, Florence found out that the military hospitals were very dirty. She became a heroine to the British public because she worked for very long hours to bring the hospital in order in terms of cleanliness. This made the British public raise 45,000 pounds help her. When she returned to Britain in 1856, Nightingale was commissioned to investigate the British soldiers’ living condition. She then published her findings in 1858 as Notes on Matters Affecting the Health, Efficiency and Hospital Administration of the British Army.

In 1860, she opened the Nightingale Training School for Nurses at St Thomas Hospital. Nightingale greatly raised the nursing standards. In her old age, Florence suffered from ill health and therefore she went blind and therefore become invalid by the mid-1890s. In 1907, she was awarded the Order of Merit. She died on 13 August 1910 (Nightingale & Valle?e, 2001). She is viewed as a mother the mother of modern nursing because she developed modern nursing by synthesizing the information she gathered in many of her life experiences.

She realized that the major component of nursing care is the manipulation of the physical environment (Nightingale & Valle?e, 2001). Nightingale identified that the major areas of the environment that the nurse could control is light, cleanliness of rooms, ventilation and warmth, variety, noise, bed and beddings, walls and nutrition. For the client to counter the environmental stress in case one or more aspects are out of balance, he/she must use increased energy. In her theory, Florence advocated the two essential behaviors by the nurse.

Firstly, a nurse should ask what the client needed or wanted for instance asking what the patient believe that is wrong. Secondly, she advocated the use of observation. Nightingale used precise observations that concern all aspects of the patient’s environment and physical health. She outlined that the main role of nurses is to place their patients in the best position so that the nature can act upon him, therefore, encouraging healing (Nightingale & Valle?e, 2001). This is the main application of Nightingale's theory in practice.

It was the nurses’ responsibility to assist patients to recover by reducing noise, relieving their anxieties and helping them sleep. The basis of holistic as per most of the nursing theories is the environmental adaptation. This theory has been applied to build trust, group leadership and in self-assessment in nursing practice in order to teach a group of preadolescent children about the negative peer pressure. Since these children are very vulnerable to peer pressure, proactive actions should be taken to develop good moral beliefs and values to make them say no to peer pressure (Nightingale & Valle?e, 2001). Application of this theory has positive influenced the behavior of children making it very effective.

This is because before the theory was put in practice, children were highly susceptible to peer pressure. Reference Nightingale, F., & Valle?e, G. (2001). The collected works: An introduction to her life and family. Waterloo, Ont: Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press.