Environment in Nursing Metaparadigm: Introduction
Nursing is a unique occupation that is extremely important for our society. It is focused on providing help to people in need to guarantee their recovery and significant improvement of the quality of life. However, not everyone could become a nurse as it presupposes specific way of thinking and unique philosophy that incorporates perspectives on the process of recovery, assistance, supportiveness, etc. Besides, there are also four basic metaparadigms of nursing which are the major concepts that form personal nursing philosophy and help a specialist to manage priorities. In this regard, the improved comprehending of these very notions is crucial for the functioning of any health worker.
Four Metaparadigms
The above-mentioned metaparadigms include such wide conceptions as patient, nurse, health, and environment. The first one could be considered a key element of nursing practice. It is crucial to realize the fact that “patient” refers not only to an individual; however, it should seize the combination of all factors that impact a patient and people who might have a certain influence of the process of his/her recovery (“Metaparadigm concepts,” n.d.). Only under these conditions, a nurse will be able to nurture a patient and teach him/her how to care for the health and improve the quality of life. A patient should feel that he/she and his/her well-being and health are key pillars of the health care.
As for the metaparadigm of nursing, it could be discussed through the prism of all skills and competences a person should possess to consider himself/herself a good nurse which could really help a patient to recover and feel better. This might incorporate such aspects as medical knowledge, technical skills, personal qualities, previous experiences, etc. There is no limit which could be achieved, and a good nurse should always try to obtain new skills and knowledge. In practice, this very metaparadigm is the key to the constant self-improvement which is crucial for any nurse especially in terms of rapidly changing environment and setting. It serves as the guarantee that the most innovative approaches will be used.
The next metaparadigm refers to the aspect of health. In other words, the state of the patient, his/her quality of life, ability to get medical care, and outcomes could be investigated through the prism of this very metaparadigm. One could hardly deny the fact that it is extremely important for the modern healthcare sector which is focused on the significant enhancement of the patients health. However, there are also factors like genetic, cultural, intellectual, and others that should be considered as they contribute to better outcomes. In practice it means that only comprehending of all these factors might help a person to feel better. For this reason, it is crucial to investigate this metaparadigm from different perspectives.
Finally, the metaparadigm of environment is one of the most universal among those mentioned above. It refers to everything that surrounds a patient and might have either positive or negative impact on the state of his/her health and recovery (Masters, n.d.). For this reason, it is essential to assure that an individual is placed in the environment that is conductive to his/her faster recovery and improvement of the quality of life (Roussel, n.d.). At the same time, the given task might be complex as a nurse could hardly impact the geographic location, relationships, or living conditions of a patient. In case they are poor, it is a great probability that he/she will return oto a medical unit again. Thus, it is crucial to assure that in the medical unit a patient is provided with all things necessary for the recovery.
Metaparadigm of Nursing Examples: Practice-Specific Approaches
Speaking about these metaparadigms we could state that they are rather broad and include an array of factors that might impact the process of care delivery, outcomes, and personal nursing philosophy. At the same time, the broadness of these very concepts results in its increased flexibility. It means that a specific environment might impact theoretical framework of nursing and result in their increased applicability (“Why the metaparadigm is necessary to nurse theory construction,” n.d). For instance, working here in Miami, I observe that the concept of communication techniques becomes especially crucial. A patient wants to be understood to assure that he/she will be provided with an appropriate treatment. Moreover, this very concept could be analyzed in terms of four above-mentioned paradigms as it obviously impacts all spheres of interactions between a patient and a nurse.
There is also the practice specific concept of assessment which implies the ability to evaluate the state of a patient to guarantee that the most efficient and appropriate models of care delivery will be chosen (Bousso, Poles, & da Cruz, 2014). The importance of this concept could hardly be doubted as it creates the basis for the further patients examination, treatment, and recovery. Additionally, it is very contextual. It means that the choice of the approaches and methods depends on the peculiarities of a certain situation. The given context also belongs to the sphere of four basic metaparadigms and could be considered one of the important factors that might result in the improved final outcomes.
Nursing Metaparadigm Examples: Five Propositions
Nevertheless, the given concepts and metaparadigms serve as the landmarks that should be given attention when delving into the peculiarities of one or another aspect of a certain medical units functioning. Thus, at the same time, there is still much to be done to enhance the health care delivery and improve results. For this reason, there are several propositions related to the above-mentioned concepts. First of all, it is crucial to foster communication between a nurse and a patient to establish trustful relations and guarantee that a nurse and a patient will have be explore patterns resulting in great mutual understanding (Masters, n.d.).
Second, it could also be recommended to introduce additional training for nurses to guarantee that their experiences and competences in the sphere of communication will be developed enough to find a specific approach to every patient, no matter what his/her age, sex, religion, culture, are. The given suggestion could be explored in terms of the increased need for communication techniques and four above-mentioned metaparadigms of nursing. The given training might help to improve final outcomes greatly and guarantee that misunderstandings that often occur in the nursing practice will be avoided and the number of medication errors will be decreased (Roussel, n.d.).
Third assumption is related to the concept of assessment and cooperation between a nurse and a patient. Resting on the ideas of the metaparadigms of patient and nursing, we could assume that it is one of the crucial elements of care delivery. Nursing philosophy implies that a health worker should focus his/her efforts on a patient to attain positive final outcomes. For this reason, the more efficient assessment procedure will obviously contribute to several shifts of priorities towards the more efficient assessment and examination procedures. Thus, considering the fact that human factor is one of the main causes for accidents, the positive effect of this alteration seems obvious.
Fourth possible suggestion is also related to the sphere of communication, techniques, and cooperation between a patient and a nurse. Revolving around the four paradigms of nursing, it is possible to assume that the enhanced cooperation between a nurse, patient, and the usage of good techniques will obviously result in the positive final outcomes. The nursing philosophy presupposes that a nurse is responsible for the delivery of the most appropriate care, communication with a patient, and his/her better understanding of used methods and tools. For this reason, the proposition to focus on this very sphere might be considered another step aimed at the further improvement of the functioning of the given sphere.
Finally, the fifth assumption is related to the necessity of the usage of new assessment techniques that rest on patients long-term observations and their ability to cooperate with a nurse to guarantee the improved results. There are numerous situations when long-term history is needed. For this reason, the given assumption is connected to all aspects of nursing meta-paradigm and will help to attain better outcomes.
Environment in Nursing Metaparadigm: Conclusion
Altogether, nursing philosophy is a key element that impacts the cooperation between a patient and a nurse and contributes to the positive shifts in relations between a caregiver and care receiver. Furthermore, the adherence to the basic points of four metaparadigms will also help to attain enhanced results and guarantee that a patient will have a better quality of life.
References
Bousso, R., Poles, K., & da Cruz, D. (2014). Nursing concepts and theories. Rev Esc Enferm USP, 48(1), 141-145. Web.
Metaparadigm concepts. (n.d.). Web.
Masters, K. (n.d.). Framework for professional nursing practice. Web.
Roussel, L. (n.d.). Concepts and theories guiding professional practice. Web.
Why the metaparadigm is necessary to nurse theory construction. (n.d). Web.