The author considers that whilst nurse tutors teach theory, nurse practitioners go on nursing in the same way that they always have done. There appears to be a chasm dividing theory and practice. This paper describes an attempt to leap... more
The author considers that whilst nurse tutors teach theory, nurse practitioners go on nursing in the same way that they always have done. There appears to be a chasm dividing theory and practice. This paper describes an attempt to leap that chasm. The paper identifies the problem, inherent in the nursing process that creates such difficulties in its implementation. The nursing process alone does not provide an adequate framework for nursing practice. The paper then describes how the translation of theory into practice took place on a ward in Brighton General Hospital, Brighton, England. The barrier between theory and practice is highlighted, along with a description of how the problems this presents to ward staff were overcome. The author considers that the attribution of cause is a key concept in the problem-solving approach, since it generates the question — Why?— and therefore that attribution of cause must be a concept in any model of nursing that is being used to implement the nursing process. The paper provides an example of how nursing models may be adapted, at ward level, to guide everyday practice, whilst retaining the conceptual framework ofthe model. The inference of the paper is that such a process could be applied to other models resulting in a greater use of theory in everyday nursing practice.
This study explored the perceptions of 12 patients attending a day care unit in June/July 1996, with the purpose of finding out what was important to these people about their day care experiences. It used a phenomenological methodology... more
This study explored the perceptions of 12 patients attending a day care unit in June/July 1996, with the purpose of finding out what was important to these people about their day care experiences. It used a phenomenological methodology derived from Paterson and Zderad's Humanistic Nursing Theory. The patients described numerous aspects of the day care service that were important to them. All 12 people interviewed considered the service satisfactory, and a number considered it to be more than anyone could or should expect. Day care was found to help them feel comfortable, to feel of value and to feel less isolated. In addition, the participants were found to be living with cancer in two different ways. All 12 knew they had cancer and might be terminally ill. Yet some seemed to "tolerate" their life with cancer, whereas others saw it as requiring "adaptation". The day care service was supporting both these styles of managing life with cancer. The interpretation of the findings suggests that the reason patients expressed such satisfaction with the service offered was because the care was humanistic. It responded to individual opinions, feelings and understandings of health and well-being, by giving people time and responding to their individual concerns. In this way, it was flexible enough to support people in managing their illness using their own preferred style.
Nursing care dependency and similar terms are frequently used in nursing literature. However, their meanings are still to be adequately defined. This paper seeks to operationalize the concept of dependency for use in long-term nursing... more
Nursing care dependency and similar terms are frequently used in nursing literature. However, their meanings are still to be adequately defined. This paper seeks to operationalize the concept of dependency for use in long-term nursing care practice. An analysis of the concept of dependency, specifically with regard to nursing care, will present a frame of reference from which a theoretical definition can be stated. Variable dimensions, observable indicators and means for measuring the indicators are presented. The paper concludes with implications for further research.
The paper addresses the question of normative analysis of the value-based aspects of nursing. In our perspective, values in science may be distinguished into: a) epistemic when related to the goals of truth and objectivity; b)... more
The paper addresses the question of normative analysis of the value-based aspects of nursing. In our perspective, values in science may be distinguished into: a) epistemic when related to the goals of truth and objectivity; b) non-epistemic when related to social, cultural or political aspects. Furthermore, values can be called constitutive when necessary for a scientific enterprise, or contextual when contingently associated with science. Analysis of the roles of the various forms of values and models of knowledge translation provides the ground to understand the specific role of values in nursing. A conceptual framework has been built to classify some of the classical perspectives on nursing knowledge and to examine the relationships between values and different forms of knowledge in nursing. It follows that adopting a normative perspective in the analysis of nursing knowledge provides key-elements to identify its proper dimension.
This paper presents the findings from a small study, which compared student nurses’ views on how well they felt the Project 2000 curriculum had prepared them for their first clinical placements. The views of two student nurse cohorts were... more
This paper presents the findings from a small study, which compared student nurses’ views on how well they felt the Project 2000 curriculum had prepared them for their first clinical placements. The views of two student nurse cohorts were obtained using a questionnaire developed for the purpose. The curriculum for the ‘old’ cohort allowed very little clinical time during the
Wendy Chaboyer is a professor and the director of the Research Centre for Clinical Practice Innovation, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia. She is the past chair of the research advisory panel of the Australian College of Critical... more
Wendy Chaboyer is a professor and the director of the Research Centre for Clinical Practice Innovation, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia. She is the past chair of the research advisory panel of the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses and a member of the editorial ...
Margaret Newman’s Theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness is considered a grand nursing theory, she described a process of becoming more of oneself, of finding greater meaning in life, and of reaching new dimensions of connectedness... more
Margaret Newman’s Theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness is considered a grand nursing theory, she described a process of becoming more of oneself, of finding greater meaning in life, and of reaching new dimensions of connectedness with other people and the world. Nurses in Kenya have mostly used the psychosocial-medical model to nurse HIV infected patients which fails to answer many of the nursing concerns and reduces their autonomy in carrying out nursing care. Newman’s theory proposed that: Health is not lack of illness, or a process to become healthy from being ill, but it instead the expansion of consciousness as a result of choices made within the context of patterns of behavior. Methodology: This mini review was an evolving emergent design. Slightly adapted ‘Advanced Theory in Nursing’ coursework materials were used. The greatest resource were referrals to links and hints as offered by those who got interested in the study. A best case scenario is appended. Conclusion: Newman’s Theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness is therefore a generic tool applicable to guide psychosocial nursing care of clients infected with HIV. It would be a great resource with a potential to evidence based nursing care. It would provide a basis for several case studies. Nurses find more fulfilment in their work by utilizing a nursing theory.
In the process of placing diagnoses into Taxonomy I, certain inconsistencies became apparent. Inadequate definition of both diagnoses and human response patterns, lack of defining characteristics, and inconsistency in the levels of... more
In the process of placing diagnoses into Taxonomy I, certain inconsistencies became apparent. Inadequate definition of both diagnoses and human response patterns, lack of defining characteristics, and inconsistency in the levels of abstraction within the taxonomic hierarchy made the task of assigning a diagnosis to a taxonomic pattern difficult. Ambiguity in the definitions of the nine patterns resulted in ambiguity in the basic foundation, which affected the entire structure. The Taxonomy Committee, before evaluating the current structure, had to make the following decisions regarding the current human response patterns: (1) Should the nine human response patterns be retained for further taxonomic work? and (2) If they are retained, what should be the first step in examining Taxonomy I-Revised? This second article in a series of four will familiarize the readers with the process and decisions by which Taxonomy II of the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) is evolving through the work of the Taxonomy Committee. This article also will identify the specific problems encountered in the development of Taxonomy I and Taxonomy I-Revised, and describe the steps establishing the validity of the process of formation of the nine human response patterns.
This article describes the Holistic Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice. It defines holistic nursing, its five core values, and its practice standards. These include holistic philosophy, theory, and ethics; holistic caring process;... more
This article describes the Holistic Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice. It defines holistic nursing, its five core values, and its practice standards. These include holistic philosophy, theory, and ethics; holistic caring process; holistic communication, therapeutic environment, and cultural diversity; holistic education and research; and holistic nurse self-care. Educational preparation for holistic nursing and settings in which holistic nurses practice are also explored.
According to the late Rosemary Ellis, the most pressing priority of nursing scholars is to explicate the substantive structure of our discipline. Drawing largely from her unpublished work, this paper summarizes the views of Ellis on the... more
According to the late Rosemary Ellis, the most pressing priority of nursing scholars is to explicate the substantive structure of our discipline. Drawing largely from her unpublished work, this paper summarizes the views of Ellis on the nature of nursing's substantive structure and raises implications for the development of nursing theory.
Dorothea Orem and Imogene King are two nursing theorists who are contributing significantly to the development of nursing knowledge This paper compares the similarities and differences in their strategies for theory development, their... more
Dorothea Orem and Imogene King are two nursing theorists who are contributing significantly to the development of nursing knowledge This paper compares the similarities and differences in their strategies for theory development, their views of nursing metaparadigm concepts, and their theories of nursing system and goal attainment in terms of scope, usefulness, and their unique contribution to nursing science
The purpose of this paper is to present the theoretical and philosophical assumptions of the Nursing Manifesto, written by three activist scholars whose objective was to promote emancipatory nursing research, practice, and education... more
The purpose of this paper is to present the theoretical and philosophical assumptions of the Nursing Manifesto, written by three activist scholars whose objective was to promote emancipatory nursing research, practice, and education within the dialogue and praxis of social justice. Inspired by discussions with a number of nurse philosophers at the 2008 Knowledge Conference in Boston, two of the original Manifesto authors and two colleagues discussed the need to explicate emancipatory knowing as it emerged from the Manifesto. Our analysis yielded an epistemological framework based on liberation principles to advance praxis in the discipline of nursing. This paper adds to what is already known on this topic, as there is not an explicit contribution to the literature of this specific Manifesto, its significance, and utility for the discipline. While each of us have written on emancipatory knowing and social justice in a variety of works, it is in this article that we identify, as a unit of knowledge production and as a direction towards praxis, a set of critical values that arose from the emancipatory conscience-ness and intention seen in the framework of the Nursing Manifesto.
Purpose: To review assumptions inherent in the nurse-patient relationship as historically described and practiced, and to propose an alternate framework for nurse-patient interaction that is congruent with current health care environments.