Conceptual frameworks are significant for guiding advanced nurses’ practice. They are related to concrete theories and provide a perspective on nursing meta paradigms. This paper presents an example of a conceptual framework that can be used in advanced nursing practice. The report describes its main ideas and shows how it is linked to four nursing metaparadigm concepts. The paper shows that such a framework may provide a solid and reliable basis for practice.
Conceptual Framework
The identification of a conceptual framework for guiding advanced nursing practice is vital as it allows to preserve the focus of care. Conceptual frameworks define the set of goals and competencies required for advanced nursing practice regarding care providers’ responsibilities, professional role, health assessment and promotion, and diagnosis (Wilson et al., 2015). The conceptual framework that could be used while working with patients is based on the standards of practice outlined by the American Nurses Association.
The organization outlines that nursing practice is focused on addressing individuals’ unique needs and should involve establishing partnerships with patients, their families, support systems, and other care providers (American Nurses Association, 2015). Care should be based on ethics, respect for the patient’s autonomy, and collaboration. Medical decisions should involve the standards of practice and align with individuals’ values, perspectives on health, beliefs, and customs. The concepts that can also be implemented into care are safety, quality, and evidence (American Nurses Association, 2015). Advanced practice nurses should establish a safe environment for patients and themselves, focus on the quality of their services, and use clinical evidence to support their decisions.
Nursing Metaparadigm
The defined conceptual framework relates to four nursing metaparadigm concepts. These concepts identify the main focus of patient care that includes person or client, health, environment, and nursing. A client is a recipient of care that has unique needs; it is the primary object of care providers’ services. This idea can be found in the selected framework and is related to Nola Pender’s nursing theory (Masters, 2014).
The concept of health depends on individuals’ perspectives as in different patients, beliefs about the quality of life and wellbeing may vary. The conceptual framework features the same idea and suggests that it is vital to align care with recipients’ values.
The environment consists of social, internal, and external factors that affect the individual’s health (Masters, 2014). The selected framework suggests that care should be based on patients’ personal aspects, such as culture, as they may influence their wellbeing. Finally, the nursing metaparadigm is addressed in various nursing theories. Imogene King stated that nursing is a process of interaction between humans, while Hildegard Peplau understood it as therapeutic and interpersonal activities between patients and care providers.
The mentioned metaparadigm can be applied to advanced nursing roles because advanced practice nurses perform comprehensive care for patients; they can advocate for changes in policies and provide leadership. Thus, they should be responsible for making evidence-based clinical decisions, establish a safe environment, and address individuals’ needs.
Conclusion
The selected conceptual framework is based on the standards outlined by the American Nurses Association and the principles of safety, quality, and evidence. It is linked to the four nursing metaparadigm concepts, including person, environment, nursing, and health. The framework is designed to enhance the quality of services, encourage nurses to address individual factors while assessing and diagnosing a patient, and use evidence to support their decisions.
References
American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (3rd ed.). Silver Spring, MA: American Nurses Association.
Masters, K. (2014). Nursing theories: A framework for professional practice (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Wilson, R., Godfrey, C. M., Sears, K., Medves, J., Ross-White, A., & Lambert, N. (2015). Exploring conceptual and theoretical frameworks for nurse practitioner education: A scoping review protocol. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, 13(10), 146-155.