Nursing Theories and Profesionalism Essay Example

predicts the relationship and occurrence of components in a phenomenon, but lacks control.

iv. Prescriptive Theory offers insight into nursing therapeutics and the consequences of interventions. These theories outline the circumstances under which certain actions or events should occur. Characteristics of nursing theory include: 

1. The concepts are interconnected, providing a fresh perspective on a particular phenomenon. 
2. They are logical in nature. 
3. They can be applied to various situations. 
4. They serve as a foundation for testable hypotheses and contribute to the overall body of knowledge in the nursing field. 
5. Practitioners utilize them to guide and enhance their practice. 
6. They align with other validated theories, laws, and principles, while also revealing areas that require further investigation. 

The environmental theory is credited to Florence Nightingale.

In her theory, she emphasizes the importance of controlling the environment for both healthy and ill individuals and families. This includes discussing the significance of proper ventilation and light in the sickroom, the correct disposal of sewage, and providing appropriate nutrition. Throughout the history of modern nursing, her ideas about nursing have influenced both theoretical thinking and actual nursing practice. Nightingale viewed nursing as a calling similar to religion, one that should only be answered by women who have a deeply committed and passionate response.

She believed that nursing was a combination of art and science and that nurses should receive a formal education. In the field of Adult health nursing, Nightingale's environmental theory was applied. She emphasized the importance of a quiet environment for patients during their recovery. Petty management recommended refraining from discussing distressing news or war-related matters within the hospital, in order to avoid causing psychological harm. Additionally, Nightingale suggested the use of small pets as a form of psychological therapy when caring

for adult patients.

Dietary intake - patients should receive clean food and water. Light has tangible effects on the body. The nurse's intervention includes exposing patients to sunlight. Room temperature should be regulated appropriately for patients. Nightingale's ideas transformed hospitals into places of recovery rather than places of death. Community Health Nursing emphasizes warmth, quiet, and a suitable diet. Nightingale introduced manipulating the environment for patients' adaptation, such as using fire, adjusting windows, and relocating rooms seasonally.

Florence Nightingale rejected the germ theory and believed that a dirty environment was the source of infection. Therefore, her nursing interventions focused on cleanliness and sanitation, including proper handling and disposal of bodily secretions and sewage, frequent bathing for patients and nurses, clean clothing, and hand washing. The principles of the environmental theory are now applied by modern architecture in preventing "sick building syndrome," which involves ventilation and good lighting. Additionally, noise pollution is detrimental to the environment and can lead to serious conditions.

When hospitals did not hire their own nursing graduates, nurses applied Nightingale's principles in the community to develop public health nursing. Pregnant women must have a good balanced diet to ensure the birth of healthy children. A clean environment is crucial during child delivery to prevent postnatal complications, thereby applying the environmental theory.

The developmental model emphasizes growth, development, and maturation processes. It also focuses on identifying actual and potential developmental problems and creating intervention strategies to promote maximum growth and development of individuals and their environment. Sigmund Freud is one of the theorists associated with the developmental model. He proposed a well-known grand theory of child development. According to Freud's theory, child development occurs in stages that

are centered around different pleasure areas of the body. Each stage presents conflicts that greatly impact the developmental path.

Erick Erickson believed that social interaction and experience, rather than sexual interest, were the main drivers of development. He described the process of human development through eight stages, each with its own developmental conflict that influences later functioning and growth. On the other hand, Jean Watson emphasized the importance of caring in nursing. According to Watson, caring occurs when a nurse empathizes with another person's experiences and allows that person to understand the nurse's experiences in return. Her theory aims to balance the impersonal aspects of nursing care with the personal and interpersonal elements that stem from a humanistic belief in life. Additionally, she acknowledges the significance of spirituality and spiritual beliefs in the well-being of clients and their families.

According to Leininger, care is the fundamental aspect of nursing and is characterized by its caring and dominant nature. This nursing model highlights that elements of social structure, including technology, religious and philosophical factors, kinship and social systems, cultural values, political and legal factors, and economic and educational factors, influence health and care. In addition to the universal nature of human beings as caring individuals, the cultural care values, beliefs, and practices that are specific to a particular culture form the foundation for the patterns, conditions, and actions associated with human care. This is applicable in the context of developmental theories and adult health nursing.

Based on Watson's caring approach, her theory aims to establish a nurturing and trustworthy relationship between nurses and their clients. This theory is particularly beneficial for adult patients as it allows them to openly

express their positive and negative emotions without judgment. It also helps nurses fulfill the basic human needs of their clients in a manner that is appropriate for each individual. In the context of community health nursing, Watson's model can be used to create a supportive, protective, or connecting environment for clients experiencing various disease processes. Additionally, Watson's theory recognizes the significance of spirituality and spiritual beliefs in the well-being of both clients and their families. In the field of reproductive health nursing, developmental theories serve as valuable tools to assess whether a child's growth and developmental stage aligns with their chronological age.

Children who deviate from the typical ranges require medical and nursing interventions. Additionally, developmental theories are beneficial to nurses when instructing parents on what to anticipate during their children's different ages and stages. By studying these theories, nurses recognize that while knowledge of characteristic traits, developmental tasks, and stages is valuable, each person is unique in their own manner and behavior. This model underscores the significance of interpersonal relationships between the nurse and the individual.

The main focus of this text is to identify interpersonal problems and offer intervention techniques to improve socialization. The interactive model, including Hildegard Peplau's interpersonal theory, is prominent in this field. Peplau's theory of interpersonal relations offers a helpful framework for studying clinical phenomena and guiding nurses' actions. This theory primarily centers around the nurse-client relationship and the development of problem-solving skills within it.

Four phases, orientation, identification, exploitation, and resolution, comprise the interactive process. These phases involve the roles of counseling, leadership, surrogate, resource person, and teaching. Virginia Henderson's Model forms the basis of this theory. According to Henderson, nurses

should prioritize patients over tasks. The fundamental principle of Henderson's theory is for nurses to assist patients in achieving self-sufficiency.

She emphasized the importance of increasing the patient's independence so that progress after hospitalization would not be delayed. Peplau's theory in Adult Health Nursing is significant as it shifted psychiatric nursing from custodial-based care to interpersonal relationship theory-based care. Her theory has provided a lasting education on nurse-patient relationships as a pivotal nursing process in all practice contexts. The therapeutic nurse-patient relationship encourages patients' active participation in their healthcare. Additionally, Peplau's theoretical work has promoted professionalization and empowerment for educating nurses in the 21st century. Henderson's clear vision of the function of nurses has deeply influenced nursing education.

The nursing theories of Peplau and Henderson are frequently utilized by psychologists, psychiatrists, and nurses in mental health clinic settings. These theories offer a framework for comprehending patients' responses to illness, childbirth, mortality, and traumatic life experiences. Henderson views the nurse's role as aiding both sick and healthy individuals in achieving independence in fulfilling 14 fundamental needs. In the realm of community health nursing, interactive models are implemented to foster social interaction and relationships among community members and nurses.

People can identify their problems and seek intervention techniques for promoting optimal socialization. Henderson’s theory emphasizes the importance of society's contribution to nursing education, including reproductive health nursing and marriage and family. This theory involves teaching adults about marriage and family planning methods, emphasizing abstinence and practicing safe sex until marriage.

Nurses address the client's concerns about preventing unwanted pregnancy by opening lines of good communication. They provide family planning programs for young adults interested in practicing birth control techniques and abstinence

until marriage. Additionally, nurses offer counseling on the choice of birth control, its use, and any necessary changes.