Dr. Eman A.

Ahmed
 Learning Outcome

By the end of lecture the student will able to

• Define nursing theory

• State theory components.
• List the uses of nursing theory.
• Discuss characteristics of nursing theory.
• Identify criteria for analysis and evaluation of theory.
• Discuss the major nursing theory.
Introduction
Nursing is both a science and an art.
The empirical science of nursing includes both the natural
sciences (e.g. biology and chemistry) and the human
sciences (e.g. sociology and psychology).

The art of nursing is the ability to form trusting relationship,

perform procedures skillfully, prescribe appropriate
treatment and morally conduct nursing practice.
Definition of theory:

A theory as a general term, is an idea that explains experience,

interprets observation, describe relationships and projects
outcomes.

• It is a set of concepts, definitions, relationships, and assumptions

that project a systematic view of a phenomena (related to
significant questions in a discipline that are communicated in a
meaningful whole).
Definition of terms:
• Concepts: is a term or mental label used to describe phenomena .
It provides us with a concise summery of thoughts related to
phenomenon.
• The building blocks of theory
• It is a word or term that symbolize some aspect of
reality
• It can be
Concrete: Human heart, School
Abstract: Pain, love

• Definitions: convey the general meaning of the concepts.

• Assumptions: statements that describe concepts.

• Phenomenon: all aspects of reality that can be consciously sensed

or experienced (Meleis, 1997). it is a term, description or label
given to describe an idea about an event, a situation, a process or
a group of events or situations.
• Proposition
• Is a statement or assertion of the
R/S b/w concepts

• For example, “ there is a

relationship between smoking
and lung cancer” “pulse rate and
respiration”

• Hypothesis
• Tentative prediction of the relationship
between two or more variables.
Nursing theory:
Nursing theories are the reservoirs in which findings related to
nursing concepts (such as comfort, healing, recovering, mobility,
fatigue)are stored. Also it is reservoirs for answers related
significant nursing phenomena such as post stroke levels of
cognition.
Assumption
Concepts

Answer to sig.
nursing
phenomena

Nursing theory
Model
It Is a symbolic representation of nursing
some phenomena or the
interaction among and between
the concepts showing patterns.
health patient

In nursing models are often environment

designed by theorists to depict the

beliefs in their theory
Common concepts (domain) in nursing theory

• The person / patient / client

• The environment

• Health

• Nursing goals/ roles / functions

Importance of nursing theories

• It generates knowledge and guides nursing practice .

• It helps to describe or explain the phenomenon of nursing.
• Enables nurses to know WHY they are doing, WHAT they
are doing and what we need to know.
• Enables review of professional boundaries.
In practice

• Identify certain standards for nursing practice.

• Identify exclusive nursing processes and technologies to
be used (parameters for client assessment, labels for client
problems……..)
• Direct the delivery of nursing services.
• Direct quality assurance programs.
So how do nurses use theory in everyday practice?
• Organize patient data
• Understand patient data
• Analyze patient data
• Make decisions about nursing interventions
• Plan patient care
• Predict outcomes of care
• Evaluate patient outcomes
(Alligood, 2001)
In education
• Provide a general for curriculum design.
• Guide curriculum decision making.

In research
• Drive the research question
• Provide a framework for generating knowledge and new ideas.
• Assist in discovering knowledge gaps in the specific help of
study.
Characteristics of nursing theories

• It must be logical, relatively simple and

generalizable.
• Composed of concepts and propositions.
• Provide the bases for testable hypotheses.
• Consistent with other validated theories.
Current trends that influence nursing theory

• Medical science

• Nursing education

• Professional nursing organizations

• Evolving research approaches

• Global concerns

• Consumer demands

• Technologies
TYPES ACCORDING TO FUNCTION (Polit et. al 2001)
Descriptive- to identify the properties and workings of a

discipline.
Explanatory- to examine how properties relate and thus
affect the discipline.
Predictive- to calculate relationships between properties and
how they occur.
Prescriptive - to identify under which conditions relationships
occur.
Examples of Nursing theorists

• Nightingale - Environment

• Virginia Henderson -The Nature of Nursing.

• Faye Abdellah’s (patient centered approaches)

• Orem’s self-care deficit model

• Roger’s science of unitary human beings

• Roy’s adaptation model

• Ida Jean Orlando (Nursing Process theory).

Summary
• Rise of theory began in the 1950s.

• Recently published theories incorporate focus on caring

and primary care.

• Much time is used in development of theory.

• Other theories are in development and will continue to

evolve over time and adapt to the needs of nursing and
the population.
• Taylor C., Lillis C. and LeMone P., (2015) , Fundamental of
Nursing, The Art and Science of Person-Centered Nursing
Care, 8th Ed, Wolters Klumer.

• Wayne G. (2019) , Nursing Theories and Theorists,

Nurseslabs.com. http://nurseslabs.com/nursing-theories/