The Purpose of Applying Nursing Theory to Patient Care
The nursing field is distinct in that it has developed its own body of knowledge and established its own norms. Advanced nursing practice is grounded in a body of theory unique to the field and informed by a commitment to ethics in all interactions with patients, coworkers, and the community (Yip, 2021). Theoretical frameworks in nursing are vital because they enable practitioners to articulate the rationale behind the methods they employ in their work.
Studies have determined that nursing theories have guided practice and enhanced care quality. Kolcaba’s Theory of Comfort accurately represents the ethos of nursing as a profession dedicated to improving patients’ quality of life. Best practices and policies may be derived from evidence-based research, which is supported by theories before the provision of treatment.
Nursing Theory Meaningful to Current Practice
The ability to explain actions taken and their rationale is a key benefit of theory-guided nursing practice, which improves the standard of care provided to patients. Nevertheless, evidence-based nursing and conventional practice remain prominent, casting doubt on the value of theory-guided nursing. It has been noted, for instance, that the effective tactics now employed in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic are related to implementing the theoretical underpinnings offered by environmental theory (Fernandes & Silva, 2020). Because of this, it is clear that theoretical foundations are crucial not only for the critical-reflexive education of the modern nurse but also in the fight against the epidemic. Consequently, apart from conventional nursing care, nurses may use theories as a foundation for making meaningful choices in current patient care that improve health outcomes on a global scale.
Application of a Nursing Theory Before Planning and Providing Care
Screening, diagnosis, result, strategy, execution, and evaluation are the six phases of nursing practice in which nurses may apply theories. However, nurses can participate in theory and research before planning and providing care since it creates new expertise relevant to nursing and shapes scientific inquiry. Nursing theory is used to describe, predict, and explain nursing practice.
Nursing researchers may employ theories as frameworks before proceeding with care planning or patient treatment. For instance, the integration of Dorothea Orem’s self-care deficit nursing theory into clinical research led to the development of a new individual care plan, promoting more customized self-care assistance for patients with type 2 diabetes (Rosman et al., 2022). Best practices and policies can be developed using evidence-based research, which is, in turn, informed by relevant theories and concepts. Nursing theory must continue to inform nursing research and clinical practice.
Nursing Theory Reflecting Personal View of Nursing
To me, nursing is all about making people feel better, and Kolcaba’s Theory of Comfort best captures that spirit. Nursing is defined in the model as the process of determining a patient’s comfort requirements, planning for and carrying out those requirements, and then reassessing the patient’s level of satisfaction with their care. Kolcaba distinguished three types of comfort: relief, ease, and transcendence. When a patient’s demands for ease are met, they will report feeling more comfortable. For instance, it has influenced my postoperative care selections, where I have found that providing pain medicine helps patients feel more at ease.
If nurses consider the patient’s physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and environmental states while implementing care, they will increase patient satisfaction. For instance, a comfort theory-based integrated comfort care intervention group in pediatric care demonstrated significantly higher comfort levels compared to the control group (Sharma & Kalia, 2021). Patient comfort is a crucial goal of nursing, as it leads to improved outcomes, faster recoveries, and lower overall healthcare expenditures.
Summary
Healthcare delivery relies heavily on the theories that create nursing principles. As previously said, the purpose of nursing theories is to guide practitioners toward optimal decision-making in real-time patient care. Improvements in patients’ quality of life, self-efficacy, self-care, and distress are causally linked to the implementation of nursing theories, implying that their importance cannot be overstated. According to Kolcaba’s Theory of Comfort, enhancing a patient’s quality of life facilitates faster healing and reduces healthcare costs, making this a crucial nursing objective.
References
Fernandes, A. G. O., & Silva, T. D. C. R. D. (2020). War against the COVID-19 pandemic: Reflection in light of Florence Nightingale’s nursing theory. Revista Brasileira De Enfermagem, 73(5).
Rosman, J., Eriksson, J. W., Martinell, M., Lindholm Olinder, A., & Leksell, J. (2022). Individual goal-based plan based on nursing theory for adults with type 2 diabetes and self-care deficits: A study protocol of a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open, 12(3).
Sharma, M. C., & Kalia, R. (2021). Testing Katharine Kolcaba theory of comfort. Journal of Pediatric Surgical Nursing, 10(4), 168–175.
Yip, J. Y. C. (2021). Theory-based advanced nursing practice: A practice update on the application of Orem’s self-care deficit nursing theory. SAGE Open Nursing, 7.