Anne Boykin and Sarvina O. Schoenhofer: Nursing As Caring

The theory of Nursing As Caring is a general or grand nursing theory that can be used as a framework to guide nursing practice. The theory is grounded in several key assumptions:

1. persons are caring by virtue of their humanness
2. persons live their caring moment to moment
3. persons are whole or complete in the moment
4. personhood is living life grounded in caring
5. personhood is enhanced through participating in nurturing relationships with caring others
6. nursing is both a discipline and a profession

The most basic premise of the theory is that all humans are caring persons, that to be human is to be called to live one’s innate caring nature. Developing the full potential of expressing caring is an ideal and for practical purposes, is a lifelong process.

“Although Abdellah spoke of the patient-centered approaches, she wrote of nurses identifying and solving specific problems. This identification and classification of problems was called the typology of 21 nursing problems. Abdellah’s typology was divided into three areas: (1) the physical, sociological, and emotional needs of the patient; (2) the types of interpersonal relationships between the nurse and the patient; and (3) the common elements of patient care. Adbellah and her colleagues thought the typology would provide a method to evaluate a student’s experiences and also a method to evaluate a nurse’s competency based on outcome measures.” (Tomey & Alligood, Nursing theorists and their work 4th ed., p. 115).

Abdellah’s Typology of 21 Nursing Problems are as follows: Continue reading…

Imogene King: General System’s Framework “King’s conceptual model includes three types of dynamic, interacting systems: personal systems (represented by individuals), interpersonal systems (represented by such dyadic interactions as nurse-patient dialogue), and social systems (represented by larger institutions such as hospitals and families).”

Dorothy Johnson 1919-1999: Behavioral System Model

“Johnson’s model focuses on a behavioral system (the patient), its subsystems, and its environment.”

Definition of Nursing according to Virginia Avernal Henderson 1897-1996:

Henderson defined nursing in functional terms: “The unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to a peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible.”

The most beautiful part of a nursing theory is its applications in real-world cases. Many Nursing students and even professionals sometimes forget that whatever they do on the field, at least one nursing theory is behind it. Nursing practice is practically based on existing nursing theories.

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After the discussion on the History of Nursing Theory, let us discuss some parts of a nursing model or theory. All nursing theories or models have several essential parts. In order to be considered a valid nursing theory, a model must include a method of assessment to determine a patient’s individual needs, and a method of implementing and measuring appropriate patient care. Most nursing models can be used to produce a care plan that will document a patient’s treatment by all the healthcare professionals and workers who come into contact with him or her. The care plan should be flexible, so that it can be changed and evaluated daily as the patient’s needs and abilities change.

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Before writing some actually nursing theories, let us first study the history of nursing theory and how important is a nursing theory in nursing practice.

Originally, the role of the nurse was to carry out the orders of a physician. Nursing theories that arose from this model of patient care were essentially biomedical and focused on treating diseases rather than patients. These theories allowed little variation in care based on a patient’s individual needs and abilities. The biomedical theories of nursing assume that all patients with the same illness have the same problems and require the same care. These theories do not take into account differences in patient knowledge and abilities due to socioeconomic, psychological or cultural differences.

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