ABSTRACTS OF 12 THEORIES IN NURSING

AUTHOR ABSTRACT OF THEORY

Abdellah Faye G. Defined nursing as having a problem-solving approach, with the key nursing
problems related to health needs of people. Developed a list of 21 nursing-
program areas. Two examples re to maintain good hygiene and physical comfort
and to facilitate the maintenance of elimination
Hall Lydia E. Defined nursing as a process that supports the motivation and energy for healing
within the patient. Identified three aspects of nursing thusly: the therapeutic use
of self, bodily care; and cure. That is, seeing the patient and family through
medical care. Indicated that the need for professional nursing care increases as
the need for medical care increases.
Henderson Virginia Defined nursing as assisting the individual in the performance of these activities
contributing to health that the individual could perform unaided if he had the
necessary strength, will and knowledge. Identified 21 major components of
nursing care, 3 examples being to breathe normally, to eat and drink adequately
and to eliminate body wastes normally. Focused nursing care on the patient’s
needs and emphasized a necessity for the nurse to be empathetic.
Johnson Dorothy Viewed the patient’s behavior as a system. that Is a, whole with interacting
parts. These are the eight subsystem of behavior, Nursing is an external
regulatory force. It acts to preserve the organization and integration of the
patient’s behavior at an optimal level under conditions in which the behavior
constitutes threat to physical or social health. Or in which illness is found. The
nursing process is viewed as a major tool. The nurse uses it for helping to
prevent behavioral instability and to maintain behavioral stability.

King Imogene M. Identified human as reacting, time-oriented, social beings. Nursing is defined as
a process of action, reaction, interaction, and transaction whereby nurses assist
individuals in meeting basic needs in activities of daily living in coping with the
health and illness. Important concepts of human include each person’s social
system, perceptions, interpersonal relationship and health.
Levine Myra E. Described nursing as being supportive or therapeutic to help the individual in
four conservation areas that are essential to health: conservation of the
structural integrity of the body, conservation of personal integrity, and
conservation of social integrity.
Orem Dorothea E. Defined the act of nursing as assisting others in the design, provision, and
management of self-care to maintain or improve human functioning at some
level of effectiveness. Self-care is defined as the practices that Individuals initiate
and perform to maintain life, health, and well-being. Nursing intervenes only
when individuals are not able to carry out their own self-care measures.
Orlando Ida Jean Defined nursing as the process involved in interacting with an ill individual to
meet an immediate need. Identified four practices to nursing: observation,
reporting, recording, and action carried out with or for the patient.
Peplau Hildegard Defined nursing as significant, therapeutic, interpersonal process that functions
to help the reduction of tension and frustration. Viewed nursing as an educative
instrument that aims to provide creative constructive, productive, personal, and
community living.
Rogers Martha E. Describe nursing as a humanistic and humanitarian science, the science of
nursing is directed toward human’s increasingly complex and expanding
interactions with their environment. Nursing’s essential role is to help humans in
their interactions with their environment.
Roy Sister Callista Viewed humans as biospychosocial beings who constantly interacts with their
 environment snd who cope with their environment through biopsychosocial
adaptation mechanisms. Nursing interactions are aimed to remove, increase,
decrease or alter stimuli to the individual. The resulting behavior then becomes
adaptive and fosters health.
Wiedenbach Ernestine Described the purpose of nursing as being to facilitate the efforts of the
individual in overcoming the obstacles that constantly interfere with his ability
to respond capably to demands made of him by his condition, environment,
situation, and time. Clinical nursing is viewed as goal-directed, deliberately
carried out, and patient-centered.
THEORIES OF NURSING

Concept: A generic word that represents an idea of a class of object; a consciousness of a particular qualities that
make an object or idea what it is or appears to be

Nursing theory: A set of interrelated concepts that attempt to describe or explain the phenomenon called nursing

Profession: An occupation that requires advanced knowledge and skills that is an outgrowth of society’s needs for
special services

Theory: A set of interrelated concepts that gives a systematic view of a phenomenon and that has explanatory
and predictive qualities.

Dorothy Johnson’s Theory of nursing

- According to Johnson’s theory, WELLNESS is defined as an integrated state of optimal functioning of the
biological, psychological, social, and cultural dimensions of an individual, which are manifested through behavior.

- Behaviors - are complex responses to variety of stimuli in the environment that are purposeful and useful to the
individual.

Assumptions:

 The primary purpose of behavior is to maximize a potential that is good for the individual or group of
Individual
 Behaviors are directed toward increasing adaptation for the individual in relationship to the to the
environment as well as specific situation at hand
 All human behavior is universal in nature, although university is obscured by cultural, social,
environmental and idiosyncratic influences.

Application of Johnson’s theory of nursing

Situation: Ms. Worth is a 39 year-old married woman with two children. Her illness is diagnosed as chronic kidney
failure and she is admitted to the hospital for kidney dialysis. A kidney transplant may become necessary in the
future.

System and its goal Problem that interferes with patient’s Suggested nursing intervention
goal achievement
AGGRESSIVE-PROTECTIVE: Fear of death Assist the patient to look at the
To protect oneself, others and realities of life expectancy. Discuss
property from real or imagined kidney transplant and prognosis
harm
 DEPENDENCY: Self-identity problem Assist the patient to see the reality
To seek assistance to reach a goal and normality of life to the extent
that she can enjoy it

AFFILIATIVE: A change in family relationship Assist family members to identify

To belong to or be associated alterations they can make to adapt
with others in an interpersonal to the patient’s changing mother
relationship role in the family. Assist the patient
to adapt to a change in her roles as
mother to wife

ACHIEVEMENT: Decreased ability to meet her Assist the patient to see how she
To master or control one’s self responsibilities in her mother role can maintain most of her personal
and the environment to obtain roles in the family when she plans
desired goals appropriately
Allow the patient to talk about her
Decreased self -esteem frustrations and assist her to view
her worth in terms of who she is,
not what she can do

SEXUAL: A decreased sexual drive Discuss the patient’s problem with

To procreate and obtain pleasure her , and assist her to discuss her
from sexual activities problem with her husband so as to
establish suitable sexual activities

INGESTION: Restricted diet and fluid Teach the patient the importance of
To take food and fluids for restricting her diet and fluids and
pleasure, gratification and how to plan meals herself and her
survival family

ELIMINATION: Decreased urinary output Teach the patient so that she

To get rid of wastes from the understands what is happening in
body her urinary system and why it is
happening

RESTORATIVE: Tired most of the time Assist the patient to plan activities
To maintain energy balance in of daily living so that her available
the body energy is used for those things most
important to her

Martha E. Roger’s theory of nursing

-Viewed nursing as a learned profession that is directed toward understanding the human life process.

-Nursing science is a body of scientific knowledge characterized by descriptive, explanatory, and predictive
principle about humans.

-Nursing practice is a process by which the body of nursing-science knowledge is used for the purpose of assisting
human beings to move in the direction of maximal well-being.

Assumptions:
  Humans are unified wholes who are more than sum of their parts.
 Humans are constantly interacting with their environment
 Anything that occurs in life is unique
 Humans develop patterns of behaving and their behavior becomes predictable.
 Humans are distinctive in their capacity for abstract thought, imagery, and emotion.

Application of Roger’s theory of nursing

Situation: Mr. Paul, a 54 year old married man, has emphysema with chronic congestion of the lungs, he has one
child and is employed as a sales manager. He is admitted to hospital because of pneumonia.

Nursing concept and its Assessment of the patient Problem patient presents Suggested nursing
meaning intervention
Wholeness, which means There has been a change
a person is unique and in the patient’s physical
more than the sum of his integrity.
parts.
The patient’s respiratory The patient must learn to Teach the patient about
system has been severely adapt to progressive, emphysema and how to
damaged and may chronic shortness of manage his health
become worse. breath. problems.
Openness There are internal and The patient’s life Explore with the patient
external changes that processes will change as a exchanges that have
have taken place, and will result of his illness. already occurred, such as
continue to take place in tiredness and shortness of
this patient’s life. breath. Explore additional
expected changes, one
being change in his sexual
activities.
Unidirectional, which Bouts of pneumonia are The patient will have to Teach the patient how to
means that every event in becoming more frequent modify life patterns to prevent lung infections.
a person’s life is unique and severe. The patient prevent respiratory Help him reach his goals
and cannot be repeated in continues to smoke infections. to stop smoking and assist
an identical manner again him in planning to reach
this goal.
Pattern and organization, As the patient gets older, The patient’s son will soon Explore what the patient
which means can becomes he will have more to cope be leaving for college knows about the aging
more complex as he with than illness. Normal process and the
develops aging process will adaptaions that need to
influence his life-style be made because of aging.
Explore the effects of
changing family stuctures.

Sentience and thought, Life’s goals and The patient is becoming Explore with the patient
which means that wisdom accomplishments will depressed and isolated his thoughts and feelings
increase with age have to be altered since from others about his status and
the patient is becoming prognosis. Assist him to
depressed and more set new, realistic goals ,
withdrawn from his family and to help him make
and social situations. plans for accomplishing
these goals
 Dorothea E. Orem’s theory of nursing

-Nursing is unique from other health-care disciplines, because nursing has its major concern the individual’s need
for self-care.

-Self-care is defined as the practice of activities that individual initiate and perform to help themselves in
maintaining life, health, and well-being.

Three types of self-care:

1. Universal self-care requirements – common to all humans

2. Developmental self-care requirement- it brings and maintains living condition that supports life processes.

3. Health-deviation self-care requirement- those that exist for people who are ill

Application of Orem’s theory of nursing

Situation: Ms. Gregory is an 80 year-old widow who lives with her daughter. She is hospitalized for the treatment
of intestinal cystitis, an inflammatory, no infection process of the urinary bladder. He has decreased vision.

Nursing system Suggested nursing intervention

WHOLLY COMPENSATORY:
The nurse gives care that the patient is When the patient’ intake and output are to be measured
unable to provide for herself Instruct the patient on the procedure of collecting urine so that the
output can be measured
Measure the urine after the patient voids and record the amount
voided on her record
PARTLY COMPENSATORY:
The nurse performs some measures for When the patient has pain owing to bladder spasms:
the patient, and some the patient can do Administer prescribed medications as necessary for the control of
for herself pain
Teach the patient how to help control pain by using such
techniques as relaxation and sitting in a tub of warm water
SUPPORTIVE-EDUCATIVE:
The nurse provides no care but supports When a disturbance in the patient’s sleep possible by explaining how to
the patient in her self-care actions. relive pain and promote relaxation.
Teach the patient about aging and about changes in sleeping
patterns
Teach that all sleep does not necessarily have to occur during nighttime
hours.