Nursing Theory and Practice

The nurse's role within the medical field carries many responsibilities. She may plan, train, coordinate and administer any number of projects in the course of her day. Nurses play an intricate role in a patient's treatment plan and recovery. The principles behind nursing theory provide the guidelines for practice within this multifaceted role.

Identification

• The role of a nurse within a medical facility is one of the most multifaceted positions in the field of medicine. Her responsibilities include administration, direct patient care, training, data analysis and program management. Nursing relies on theories put together for the purpose of assessing, planning and implementing patient care. To effectively carry out these responsibilities, a nurse's education is made up of a range of interconnected subjects and applications.

History

• Florence Nightingale is known as the first person to devise a theory of nursing in which the nurse held a distinct role in the medical profession. Nightingale's records during her service in the Crimean War were so in-depth that her work was made into a theoretical framework from which future nurses would be trained. Her journals were compiled into the 1859 book "Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What It Is Not."

Function

• Nursing theory provides a standard model upon which the practitioner puts together a care plan for his patients. Identified goals, progress indicators and methods of observation make up the layout of a patient's treatment plan. Progress notes are kept on a daily basis by doctors, nurses and all other healthcare workers. These notes are used to record the patient's progress and determine whether a particular course of treatment is working.

Types

• Nursing theory is used to predict patient responses to treatment and overall improvement outcomes using observation and analysis throughout the course of treatment. Theory approaches come in four general categories: descriptive, explanatory, predictive and prescriptive. Descriptive frameworks rely on concrete variables to analyze and predict treatment progress and outcome. Explanatory frameworks focus on how a patient's physical, emotional and environmental characteristics relate to an assigned course of treatment. Predictive theories are based on expected treatment outcomes based on a patient's existing condition. Prescriptive theories emphasize the therapeutic impact of the nurse-patient relationship and how it affects treatment outcomes.

Considerations

• In spite of how in-depth and multifaceted a nurse's role may be, nursing models are often criticized for being too regimental, and lacking in personalization. Current theory and practices are seen as too "textbook" in application and procedure, failing to consider the patient from a holistic perspective. The ongoing shortage of nursing staff requires systematic protocols that ensure treatment objectives are devised and carried out. Holistic approaches to the practice of nursing, while practical, are more time-consuming in terms of observation, analysis and application.