Evaluating the Role of Nursing Theory in Improving Patient Outcomes

This essay examines the critical role of nursing theory in nursing practice, emphasizing its impact on patient outcomes. It highlights how nurses utilize observation skills to develop nursing theories that can be used as evidence-based practices. The essay underscores the importance of patient-centered care, which is developed based on nursing theories and encompasses various aspects such as respecting patient preferences, care coordination, patient education, physical comfort, emotional support, family involvement, continuity, and access to care. The author emphasizes that bridging the theory-practice gap is crucial for the effective implementation of nursing observations and theory development, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes.

Running head: NURSING
Nursing
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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According to Kennedy et al. (2014), the nurses are equipped with desired tools that
help towards the nursing theory of development. The fact highlight in the article is extremely
significant in the present day scenario. The article stated that the critical observation power of
the nurses is the main tool that can be effectively used for the generation of the therapy of
development (Sellman, 2010). This theory of development can be alternatively used as
evidenced based practice (Alligood, 2013). The article is also of the opinion that the nursing
theory was not solely developed for the sake of the nursing theory but it has significant effect
on the overall patient outcomes. According to Kitson et al. (2013), it is on the basis of the
nursing theory that the entire framework of the patient centered care plan has been developed.
Olsson et al. (2013) have further opined that the patient centered care plan covers eight
different aspects of patient care giving process. This includes respect towards the patients’
preferences, proper co-ordination and integration of care, adequate patient education,
bestowing physical comfort, adequate emotional support, involvement of family friends and
patients in the care plan, proper continuity and transition along with adequate access to care.
This comprehensive patient care plan, which is mainly based on the critical analysis of the
nurses and subsequent theory of nursing practice development helped in the improvement of
the overall patient’s outcome (Olsson et al., 2013). However, as highlighted in the article, the
theory practice gap must be eliminated as it creates a barrier towards the effective
implementation of the nursing observation towards theory development (Sellman, 2010).

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References
Alligood, M. R. (2013). Nursing Theory-E-Book: Utilization & Application. Elsevier Health
Sciences.
Kennedy, A., Rogers, A., Bowen, R., Lee, V., Blakeman, T., Gardner, C., ... & Chew-
Graham, C. (2014). Implementing, embedding and integrating self-management
support tools for people with long-term conditions in primary care nursing: a
qualitative study. International journal of nursing studies, 51(8), 1103-1113.
Kitson, A., Marshall, A., Bassett, K., & Zeitz, K. (2013). What are the core elements of
patient‐centred care? A narrative review and synthesis of the literature from health
policy, medicine and nursing. Journal of advanced nursing, 69(1), 4-15.
Olsson, L. E., Jakobsson Ung, E., Swedberg, K., & Ekman, I. (2013). Efficacy of person‐
centred care as an intervention in controlled trials–a systematic review. Journal of
clinical nursing, 22(3-4), 456-465.
Sellman, D. (2010). Mind the gap: philosophy, theory, and practice. Blackwell Publishing
Ltd: Nursing Philosophy, 11(2), 85-87.