Nursing I (Rowan College of South Jersey)
,Chapter 04: Theoretical Foundations of Nursing
Practice
Chapter 04: Theoretical Foundations of Nursing Practice
Potter et al.: Fundamentals of Nursing, 9th Edition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The nursing instructor is teaching a class on nursing theory. One of the students asks, "Why do
we need to know this stuff? It doesn't really affect patients." What is the instructor's
bestresponse?
a. "You are correct, but we have to learn it anyway."
b. "This keeps the focus of nursing narrow."
c. "Theories help explain why nurses do what they do."
d. "Exposure to theories will help you later in graduate school."
ANS: C
Theories offer well-grounded rationales for how and why nurses perform specific interventions and
for predicting and/or prescribing nursing care measures. Although nursing theory will help the nurse
in graduate school, it is also an important basis for the nurse's approach to daily patient care, and it
expands scientific knowledge of the profession.
DIF:Apply (application)REF:41
OBJ: Explain the influence of nursing theory on a nurse's approach to practice.
TOP:lmplementationMSC:Management of Care
2. The nurse is caring for a patient who does not follow the prescribed regimen for diabetes
management. As a prescriber to Orem's theory, the nurse interviews the patient in an attempt to
identify the cause of the patient's "noncompliance." What is the rationale for the nurse's behavior?
, a. Orem's theory is useful in designing interventions to promote self-care.
b. Orem's theory focuses on cultural issues that may affect compliance.
c. Orem's theory allows for reduction of anxiety with communication.
d. Orem's theory helps nurses manipulate the patient's environment.
ANS: A
When applying Orem's theory, a nurse continually assesses a patient's ability to perform self-care
and intervenes as needed to ensure that the patients meet physical, psychological, sociological, and
developmental needs. According to Orem, people who participate in self-care activities are more
likely to improve their health outcomes. Leiniger's culture care theory focuses on culture diversity and
provides culturally specific nursing care. According to Peplau, nurses help patients reduce anxiety by
converting it into constructive actions, using therapeutic communication. Nightingale's grand theory
is a patient's environment can be manipulated by nurses to restore a patient to
health. DIF:Apply (application)REF:47-48
OBJ: Explain the influence of nursing theory on a nurse's approach to practice.
TOP:EvaluationMSC:Management of Care
3. A nurse is testing meditation for migraine headaches and the expected outcome of care when
performing this intervention. Which type of theory is the nurse using?
a. Grand
b. Prescriptive
c. Descriptive
d. Middle-range