Current Trends in Nursing Theories - Essay Example

"Current Trends in Nursing Theories" is a wonderful example of a paper on care. The nursing metaparadigm is ultimately contingent upon speaking to the needs of the person, overall health, the nursing profession, and the environment (Walker & Avant, 2005).  As such, when one seeks to determine why such a paradigm is useful and how it can impact the practice of nursing, each of these aforementioned 4 determinants must be discussed and referenced.  When one considers the fact that the nursing profession itself is ultimately in existence due to the utility and benefit that it can provide the patient, it comes as little surprise that the “person”/patient is listed as the first determinant of the metaparadigm (Lee & Fawcett, 2013).  Secondly, with regards to health, this is the determinant that is the effect that the nursing practice itself seeks to impact in a positive way.  Therefore the second component of the metaparadigm is reflexive with regards to the fact that it is the health of the patient(s)/person(s) that are sought to be affected in a positive manner.

Thirdly, the importance and use of the nursing paradigm contributes to the creation of standardization and best practices.  This is due to the fact that the third determinant which is listed, “nursing” itself, is the tertiary component of the metaparadigm.  In such a way, the acquisition of pertinent knowledge and correct application of this knowledge to create a further understanding and superior provision of health care helps to define and constrain the two prior determinants that have been discussed (Schim et al., 2007).  Finally, an appreciation and respect for the environment must also be acknowledged.  This is of importance due to the fact that regardless of how relevant or helpful a particular approach might be, the environmental costs of implementing it must be weighed and understood.

2: Explain the importance of testing a theory?

The importance of testing a theory is not only relevant to individuals within the core sciences, it is also highly relevant to healthcare providers; and specifically nurses.  Without the ability to test a theory, no greater level of inference can be made with respect to whether a particular approach can be utilized within a larger demographic; as compared to a solitary use in a small study.  In order to illustrate a theory’s validity, a thorough process of testing must first be engaged (Grealish & Smale, 2011).  Once the results of the testing are ready for analysis, it is then the role of the researchers to approach these results with as little bias as is humanly possible; in order that a realistic and unbiased approach can be effected.  Although not each and every theory can be proven right, the very point of scientific research is to allow the information, or the raw data, to coalesce in a way that allows the researcher to draw an inference as to whether or not the data at hand is able to support to theory or whether or not a new theory or explanation is needed (Im & Ju, 2012).  In this way, those theories that are proven wrong can oftentimes be as useful as those theories which are proven correct.  Read More