Assignment Instructions
Select two different nursing theories and describe how they relate to patient care. How could you use them for inciting behavioral changes? Discuss the pros and cons of applying each theory and how they could be integrated into your future practice. Are there any particular ethical issues related to the integration of these theories that should be considered?
Sample Answer
Select two different nursing theories and describe how they relate to patient care. How could you use them for inciting behavioral changes?
The two nursing theories that I will discuss are the self-care deficit theory by Dorothea Orem and Watson's theory of human caring. Self-care deficit theory focuses on the self-care needs of the patient and it is based on the premise that a patient's recovery should be holistic and quick. The theory is used to incite changes in behaviors by encouraging the patients to actively participate in care provision. This can only be achieved by educating the patients more about their health conditions and the self-care activities that they should participate in (Khademian & Gholamzadeh, 2020). On the other hand, Watson’s theory of human caring emphasizes the importance of care in the patient’s healing process. This theory suggests that nurses must have a caring relationship with their patients other than just care provision. Watson’s theory is applied to behavioral changes as it is used to encourage behavioral changes by creating a calling and supportive environment that encourages the patient's engagement in healthy behaviors (Wei & Watson, 2019).
Discuss the pros and cons of applying each theory and how they could be integrated into your future practice.
Both self-care deficit theory and Watson’s theory of care have various advantages and disadvantages. Self-care deficit theory is advantageous as it encourages patients' empowerment and independence and it results in improved patient outcomes as they are active participants in care (Khademian & Gholamzadeh, 2020). Some of the cons of self-care deficit theory are not all the patients are capable of engaging in self-care activities due to cognitive and physical limitations and engagement in self-care activities requires high levels of patient motivation and education. Watson's theory of care is advantageous as it promotes the provision of holistic care to the patients and it leads to the patient's satisfaction with the care provided by healthcare providers. The theory is disadvantageous as it is time-consuming (Wei & Watson, 2019). The two theories can be integrated in providing holistic care.
Are there any particular ethical issues related to the integration of these theories that should be considered?
Ethical issues can arise on the integration of the two theories as what is regarded as self-care is different from one patient to another. Additionally, pushing the patients to engage in activities according to the theories may make the patients have feelings of inadequacy.
References
Khademian, Z., Ara, F. K., & Gholamzadeh, S. (2020). The effect of self care education based on orem’s nursing theory on quality of life and self-efficacy in patients with hypertension: a quasi-experimental study. International journal of community based nursing and midwifery, 8(2), 140. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7153422/
Wei, H., & Watson, J. (2019). Healthcare interprofessional team members' perspectives on human caring: A directed content analysis study. International journal of nursing sciences, 6(1), 17-23. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6608670/