Integrating Nursing Theory and Practice - Essay Example

"Integrating Nursing Theory and Practice" is a remarkable example of a paper on care.
According to Basford and Slevin (2003), theory informs professional practice. (p. 178) It is important to remember this when integrating theory into nursing practice. It is expected that a positive outcome will result because decisions and actions in caring for patients become more effective and professional. Suppose a nurse is confronted by an adult ulcer patient and the treatment is needed to be modified in order to facilitate healing, the theory that would inform the dynamics of this decision or patient care initiative maybe that of person-centered theory.

Credited to Carl Rogers, the person-centered theory or approach is anchored on humanistic tradition. Some say that it is a holistic approach to patient care. Simply put the theory considers nursing as a discipline wherein practitioners have the capability to struggle with another through peak experiences related to health and suffering in which participants in the nursing situation are and become in accordance with their human potential. (Holloway and Freshwater 2007, p. 148) The crucial components, hence, involve empathy, a positive outlook, and congruence. (Meerabeau and Wright 2011, p. 60) There is a precondition required for the nurse to be able to connect and understand his or her patient in order to help facilitate the healing process. This theory appeals to human needs and addresses the differences in each, hence, provided a better approach to treatment. These are the reasons why I have chosen this theory.

Now, in regard to the statement being addressed by this paper, modifying treatment and care according to the fact that the ulcer patient is an adult, in addition to a number of other variables unique to the patient, depicts an attitude that is necessary for the effective and good therapeutic relationship. The modification implies an understanding that the patient is an individual with different needs. It bespeaks of an effort to examine and comprehend the patient's reality, perceptions, and life meaning and uses such understanding to provide care and treatment within the patient's environmental context. What is being achieved is not the treatment of a biological problem. Instead, there is the understanding that the medical issue is also about the spiritual, psychological, and emotional dilemma entailed in getting sick. The theory puts emphasis on the relational dimension of the theory. It empowers the nurse to have a more meaningful role in the treatment of the patient.

Applying the person-centered theory is not a complicated task or practice. By respecting others as individuals, it becomes easier for nurses to imbibe the values that provide an additional positive dimension to patient care. It becomes easy to empathize, to be transparent, and to exude warmth when interacting with the patient. In my case, the theory is also very preferable because it is in consonance with my own values as a person. I have often believed that nursing practice or the medical field, in general, is not all about the science of treating the ill but a synthesis of natural, humanistic, scientific, and social caring that all work together to provide a holistic solution to achieving good well-being for patients.