Concept Comparison across Nursing Theories - Essay Example

Concept comparison across theorists Concept comparison across nursing theories The definition of theory is a challenge which confronted early theorists as seen by the varying attempts at expounding what a theory is. Nursing practitioners should understand definitions because nursing practice applies a mix of scientific, medical, philosophical, sociological, and nursing theories. However, my focus in this paper is on nursing theories and the underlying concepts in relation to practice. A theory is a conceptual framework made-up for a reason (Kääriäinen, Kanste, Elo, Pölkki, Miettunen & Kyngäs, 2011). In nursing theory describes reflections, observations, projections, and inferences in a way that helps explain and frame certain aspects of nursing. These mental constructs organize and articulate what we know about phenomena to enhance understanding in nursing practice and research. The theories help us to recognize what we know, define the boundaries of nursing as a profession and generate new knowledge as theory and practice fuse together. We cannot ignore the intellectual stimulation that these theories offer, and the part they play in developing scholars in the nursing field (Kääriäinen et al., 2011). There are four general concepts, usually referred to as meta-paradigms, which offer a basis for developing nursing theories. All nurses are aware of meta-paradigms by virtue of being nurses (Im & Ju, 2012). However, since the term sounds academic, they might not articulate them in practice. The four concepts are person, environment, health, and nursing. These provide a framework that specifies the key areas of interest, and are a reflection of an acceptable level of consensus among members of the profession about the nursing field (Kääriäinen et al., 2011). My focus here will be on two theories namely Imogene Kings Theory of Goal Attainment, and Jean Watsons Theory of Human Caring. Kings Theory, postulated in 1971, explains the use of communication to help the client to regain positive adaptation to the environment. Watsons theory, developed between 1975 and 1979, tries to define the outcome of nursing activity in relation to the humanistic aspects of life. The environment of the theorists, their experiences, and their world view profoundly influence theories (Kääriäinen et al., 2011). The theorists approach the four general concepts differently. I will discuss the concept of nursing since its relation to health, environment, and person constitute the practice of nursing. The basic assumption of the Goal Attainment Theory and the nursing process is that the nursing practitioner and the client exchange information to lay down goals mutually, and then work to attain those goals (Kääriäinen et al., 2011). The main aim of nursing practice is the care of human beings, and its goal is healthcare of persons and groups. According to the Goal Attainment Theory, nursing is an interactive by which nursing practitioner and the client share information on how they perceive the situation. The client and the nurse perceive each other, and by communicating, they set objectives, explore means, and reach an agreement on the means to achieve goals. Interaction involves action and reaction, which is a series of mental and physical behavior. The goal is to help people to maintain their health so they can function in their role as part of the wider society (Kääriäinen et al., 2011). As per the King’s theory, the function of the nursing practitioner is to interpret information in nursing, plan, implement and evaluate nursing care (King, 2007). In this way, she or he will promote, maintain, restore health, and care for the sick, injured and dying as per the nursing domains. The nursing process, according to the Goal Attainment Theory, involves assessment, nursing diagnosis, planning, implementation, and finally evaluation. All this happens within three systems namely a personal system, an interpersonal system, and a social system. Kings theory puts forward the proposition that if perceptual interaction is accurate between the nurse and the client, then a successful transaction will occur. This will lead to the attainment of a goal which will bring satisfaction. These successful transactions bring about growth and development. A successful transaction occurs because the nurse facilitates the nursing process, meeting the expectations of performance of the role. If the nurse or client experiences role conflict, there will be stress in the interaction. The nurse must acquire knowledge and skill to communicate appropriate information to the customer. In this manner, they can come up with mutual goals, which can be attained together (King, 2007). Jean Watsons Theory posits that nursing practice deals “with endorsing health, averting illness, caring for the sick and ensuring recovery” (Alligood & Tomey, 2010). She believes that a core concern in nursing practice is holistic health care. In the theory, she defines nursing as”a human science of individual and collective health-illness experiences that involve professional, personal, scientific, esthetic, and ethical human transactions” (Alligood & Tomey, 2010). She suggests that nursing process is similar to scientific processes since they both try to solve a problem while providing a framework for decision making. Watson’s theory has seven assumptions (Alligood & Tomey, 2010). First, she approached caring from interpersonal interactions. Secondly, she came up with carative factors that satisfy human needs. She also assumes that caring advances health and growth while it accepts persons as they are and as they might become. Fifth, a caring environment offers room for development and allows one to choose the best action for him or her. The sixth assumption is that caring is complementary to curing. Seventh is that caring is core to nursing practice. Watsons theory comes up with the ten primary carative factors. The first three are the formation of a humanistic-altruistic system of values, the installation of faith-hope, and the nurturing of sensitivity both to ones self and to others (Sieloff & Raph, 2011). These first three form the philosophical foundation for the science of caring. These factors are essential to the emotional maturation of the nurse so that she or he can interact genuinely and sensitively with others. Furthermore, when modern science has no further help to offer the person, the nurse will continue to give a sense of wellness to the individual. The other seven carative factors arise from the first three (Alligood & Tomey, 2010). They encompass development of trust, the promotion, and acceptance of expressing both the positive and negative feelings. The use of scientific problem-solving method in decision making is one factor in the science of caring (Sieloff & Raph, 2011). However, it should not always be objective because individual cases are unique. The other carative factors cover the promotion of interpersonal teaching and learning while providing for a supportive, protective, and corrective mental, physical, socio-cultural, and spiritual environment (Kääriäinen et al., 2011 p. 1167). The ninth factor is the assistance with the gratification of human needs. These are in a hierarchy similar to Maslows pyramid of needs. Each need is essential for the provision of nursing care (Sieloff & Raph, 2011). The lower biophysical needs are the need for food, fluid, elimination, and ventilation. Other needs include the requirement for activity-inactivity, and sexuality. However, these latter needs are psychophysical. Higher order needs include the need for achievement, affiliation, and self actualization. The tenth carative factor is the understanding of people from their frame of reference. Jean Watson’s theory and King’s theory are suitable for nursing practice (Alligood & Tomey, 2010). I have discussed each theory from the perspective of the concept of nursing. The theories have similar definitions of the concept and affirm that nursing is more than a job; it engages the whole human being, preserves life, and involves a lifetime of growth and learning. They resonate well with the three philosophies of care, therapy, and professional work that is the backdrop of the nursing practice. Watson’s theory, however, differs from King’s in that it assumes that the nursing experience only takes place in an interpersonal situation. King’s theory takes a whole system approach with a personal system, interpersonal system and social system approach. However, it is obvious that the theories deal with some issues like decision making, interaction, and perception from different perspectives, but fuse when discussed in the context of nursing concept (Sieloff & Raph, 2011). In order to develop professionalism, theory should guide practice in the nursing process. Both theories deal with assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation in the nursing process. However, King’s theory is more comprehensive since it takes a whole systems approach (Sieloff & Raph, 2011). To begin with, assessment should occur during interaction as the nurse collects data regarding the client. Communication is vital to verify the accuracy of perception and transaction. To make diagnosis, the nurse uses the data collected during assessment. The nurse should identify problems, disturbances, and concerns for which the client seeks help. After diagnosis, the practitioner begins to plan for an intervention to solve the problems. Watsons theory combines implementation and data collection. This might as well be since data collection is a continuous process (Sieloff & Raph, 2011). Goal Attainment Theory represents planning as setting of goals and coming up with means to achieve those goals. After planning, the implementation involves actual activities to attain the preferred goals. This is a continuous process (Sieloff & Raph, 2011). The final step is an evaluation of the process. In Watsons theory, evaluation includes interpretation of results to estimate the degree to which positive outcome has occurred. In conclusion, understanding the nursing concept is essential to the practice of nursing (Kääriäinen et al, 2011). Even though, the client is the most significant factor, it is the nursing practitioner who will guide the process. Moreover, a good theoretical knowledge would guide practice and philosophies. King’s Goal Attainment theory and Watson’s Theory of Human Caring offer a firm background for practice. References Im, E., & Ju Chang. (2012). Current Trends in Nursing Theories. Journal Of Nursing Scholarship, 44(2), 156-164. doi:10.1111/j.1547-5069.2012.01440.x Sieloff, C. L., & Raph, S. (2011). Nursing theory and management. Journal Of Nursing Management, 19(8), 979-980. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2834.2011.01334.x Kääriäinen, M., Kanste, O., Elo, S., Pölkki, T., Miettunen, J., & Kyngäs, H. (2011). Testing and verifying nursing theory by confirmatory factor analysis. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 67(5), 1163-1172. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05561.x Alligood, M. R., Tomey, A. M.(2010). Nursing Theorists and Their Work. 7th Ed. Mosby King, I. M. (2007). kings Conceptual System, Theory of Goal Attainment and Transaction Process in the 21st Century. Nursing Science Quarterly, 20(2), 109-111. Read More