Nursing Theories

Running Head: NURSING THEORIES
Nursing Theories
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NURSING THEORIES 2
Nursing Theories
There is a clear deficiency in the use of theory in nursing practice. Nursing theory are the
support of healthcare practice today (Drevenhorn, 2018). They are vital to nursing education,
practice, as well as scientific research since they help to influence what is already known and
what extra skills and knowledge required (Saifan, AbuRuz & Masa’deh, 2015). It should be
noted that nurses are normally initially exposed to nursing theories in the process of nursing
education and more exposure originates from hands on training. The acquired skills and
knowledge concerning nursing theories, via training and education improve better results for
caregivers and patients (Safazadeh, Irajpour, Alimohammadi & Haghani, 2018), enables
application of professional boundaries, as well as aid in decision making. The paper will
critically discuss one nursing theory and one borrowed through evaluation and examination of an
article.
Orem’s Self-Care theory
The self-Care theory has been proposed as a theoretical tool for nursing practice. The
theory is based on the foundation that all people are capable of taking care of themselves (Shea,
Reimer & Cavan Frisch, 2019). According to self-care concept of Orem, the theory consists of
actions which people deliberately and freely perform and start on their own behalf in managing
their wellbeing, health, and life. Actions of nurses are directed toward helping the patient to start
taking care of themselves (Altay & Çavuşoğlu, 2013). The theory identifies a two-step nursing
process in realizing the aim of self-care. The initial step entail prioritizing as well as identifying
the unmet needs of the patient while the second step entail selecting approaches of aiding the
patient to compensate for or overcome his or own deficit of self-care.

NURSING THEORIES 3
Application of Dorothea Orem’s Theory of Self-Care to the Elderly Patient on Peritoneal
Dialysis by Maria
The goal of this study was to offer an overview of the use of self-care in guiding care for
elderly patients on peritoneal dialysis. The specific objectives of the study include defining the
theory of self-care and offering explanation on how the self-care theory can be adapted in
offering homecare hemodialysis in the elderly people. The study used the self-care theory to
support the study. The article starts by stating that changes in life expectancy as well as rises in
incidences of diabetes, heart-related disease, and hypertension are all linked to a higher number
of individuals diagnosed with chronic renal disease. The United States of America population is
increasing with the number of older adults projected to rise. For instance, the study states that in
2010, the number of older adults who are 65 years and above was 14% of the population while
expectation for 2020 predict an increase to 17% of the population. The study states the self-care
theory was introduced to comprehend as well as interpret experiences. Thus, the use of self-care
by Orem to elderly should be applied to bring about positive therapy results.
In this study, the concepts and the assumptions of the self-care theory were clearly
articulated and defined. The article states that Orem’s self-care theory states that individuals have
an innate natural ability for taking care of themselves, and nursing should emphasize recognizing
the deficit areas. Thus, the study states that nursing practice can be in a position to respond to the
deficit need by giving support to healthcare. Moreover, deficit in self-care occur when the
association between self-care demands are greater than the current ability of individuals leading
to the nurse facilitating self-care through nursing agency, employment situation or the structure
in which the nurse operates. The theory was implicitly used in the study as it portrayed the actual
conceptual underpins of the theory. For instance, the study used the clinical setting to evaluate