NURSING ESSAY NOTES
Discuss the importance of theories in nursing practice. Explain in
detail Florence nightingale
Theory is important because it helps us to decide what we know and
what we need to know (Parsons 1949). It helps to distinguish what
should form the basis of practice by explicitly describing nursing. The
benefits of having a defined body of theory in nursing include better
patient care, enhanced professional status for nurses, improved
communication between nurses, and guidance for research and
education (Nolan 1996). In addition, because the main exponent of
nursing - caring - cannot be measured, it is vital to have the theory to
analyse and explain what nurses do.
Nolan et al (1998) note the disparity between current trends in the
healthcare service. As medicine tries to make a move towards
adopting a more multidisciplinary approach to health care, nursing
continues to strive to establish a unique body of knowledge. This can
be seen as an attempt by the nursing profession to maintain its
professional boundaries. The issue is blurred further becausethe
boundaries between nursing and medicine are never static. For
example, as nurses increasingly extend their scope of practice by
performing tasks previously carried out by doctors, many of their
own traditional roles are being passed on to healthcare assistants.
However, because these boundaries are constantly changing,
perhaps it is more important than ever that nurses are able to define
their position and their role. By providing nurses with a sense of
identity, nursing theory can help patients, managers and other
healthcare professionals to recognise the unique contribution nurses
make to the healthcare service (Draper 1990). A formal definition of
nursing theory also provides nurses with an understanding of their
purpose and role in health care.
Discuss the importance of theories in nursing practice. Explain in
detail Florence nightingale
Theory is important because it helps us to decide what we know and
what we need to know (Parsons 1949). It helps to distinguish what
should form the basis of practice by explicitly describing nursing. The
benefits of having a defined body of theory in nursing include better
patient care, enhanced professional status for nurses, improved
communication between nurses, and guidance for research and
education (Nolan 1996). In addition, because the main exponent of
nursing - caring - cannot be measured, it is vital to have the theory to
analyse and explain what nurses do.
Nolan et al (1998) note the disparity between current trends in the
healthcare service. As medicine tries to make a move towards
adopting a more multidisciplinary approach to health care, nursing
continues to strive to establish a unique body of knowledge. This can
be seen as an attempt by the nursing profession to maintain its
professional boundaries. The issue is blurred further becausethe
boundaries between nursing and medicine are never static. For
example, as nurses increasingly extend their scope of practice by
performing tasks previously carried out by doctors, many of their
own traditional roles are being passed on to healthcare assistants.
However, because these boundaries are constantly changing,
perhaps it is more important than ever that nurses are able to define
their position and their role. By providing nurses with a sense of
identity, nursing theory can help patients, managers and other
healthcare professionals to recognise the unique contribution nurses
make to the healthcare service (Draper 1990). A formal definition of
nursing theory also provides nurses with an understanding of their
purpose and role in health care.
