Ernestine Wiedenbach's theory has contributed to the development of clinical nursing practice by influencing core concepts in practice, such as the nursing process, and by contributing to the goal of nursing, which is to attend to a patient's needs by assessing their need for help in the clinical setting/
The helping art of nursing is seen in all nursing practice involving the individual, and it uses the basis of nursing practice, the basis being the nursing process. The nursing process is a systematic problem-solving approach first applied by Orlando in 1961 and involved four key steps which includes assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation (Potter, Perry, 2006, p. 68). According Alligood and Tomey (2010), Wiedenbach also developed a personal nursing steps in which the nurse can identify a patient's need for help by:
1.Observing behaviors consistent or inconsistent with their comfort,
2.Exploring the meaning of their behaviour,
3.Determining whether they can resolve their problems or have a need for help,
4.Determining whether they can resolve their problems or have a need for help”
Orlando's Nursing Process is related to Wiedenbach's process of identifying a patient's need for help because they both follow the same care trajectory from initial observation and assessment to intervention and evaluation. Since these two theories follow the same trajectory, they can be applied in similar situations in clinical nursing practice.
Wiedenbach's process of identifying a patient's need for help can be applied when a nurse is directly providing care for a patient. Richard and Johnson (2007) used Wiedenbach's nursing theory to guide nursing practice, where the nurse identifies the needs of the patient and their need for...
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...-care deficit”(Ackley& Ladwig, 2008), for example, when diagnosised for a patient in their care plan has been assessed by the nurse. The nurse has assessed and come to the conclusion at the time of making the diagnosis that the patient in question is unable to feed themselves and has a need for help in feeding. Therefore, in order to come to this diagnosis the nurse identifies the need for help by going through Wiedenbach's four step process of identifying a patients need.
Ernestine Wiedenbach was a very influential nursing theorist and has influenced nursing on a large scale, especially in clinical practice. Her theory of self-help and her other theoretical contributions to the discipline of nursing has been greatly recognized and respected. Her work has contributed to core concepts of nursing, has contributed to the goal of nursing and the care of our patients.
Every person’s needs must be recognized, respected, and filled if he or she must attain wholeness. The environment must attuned to that wholeness for healing to occur. Healing must be total or holistic if health must be restored or maintained. And a nurse-patient relationship is the very foundation of nursing (Conway et al 2011; Johnson, 2011). The Theory recognizes a person’s needs above all. It sets up the conducive environment to healing. It addresses and works on the restoration and maintenance of total health rather than only specific parts or aspect of the patient’s body or personality. And these are possible only through a positive healing relationship between the patient and the nurse (Conway et al, Johnson).
The APRN listens and engages with the patient as care and compassion take place. As the nurse discerns what the patient’s needs are and considers obstacles to achieving optimal care the application of theory is necessary as the process is not always quantifiable. The APRN who does not learn nursing theory may focus primarily on EBP and miss this engagement opportunity with the patient. One may prescribe medication; however, if the patient does not take the medication, then the nurse assumes the patient is noncompliant. The application of Watson’s themes where appropriate helps the APRN discern how to help the patient become compliant. It is necessary to care for the patient outside of the idea of only providing care to understand the obstacle in that patients circumstances and reach improved patient outcomes to any disease
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Illustrated in this, I can also benefit from demonstrating the five processes of the Swanson’s Theory of Caring on everyday nursing practice. When I am practicing caring, I reap benefits such as an emotional and spiritual sense of achievement, appreciation, and satisfaction. Practicing the Swanson’s Theory of Caring is extremely helpful to both nurse and patient and has been incorporated into assignments in medical settings. By using this model and the processes of caring, nurses can be uplifted and sustain the caring-healing practice that attracted them to the profession. Although I don’t have all the five caring process, I am confident that I will acquire those during my nursing career through the interaction with my
Kozier, B., Erb, G., Berman, A., Snyder, S. J., Buck, M., Yiu, L., & Stamler, L. L. (2014). fundamentals of nursing : caring and clinical judgment. (3rd ed.). Toronto:
One of the theories of nursing is Dorothea Orem’s self-care theory, also called the self-care deficit theory. Nursing theories are important for several reasons. The profession is strengthened when knowledge is built on sound theory (Black, 2014). Theory is important for reasoning, thinking, decision-making, and supporting excellence in practice (Black, 2014). Dorothea Orem’s theory is a conceptual model that provides a structure for critical thinking in the nursing process (Black, 2014). A conceptual model provides a comprehensive and holistic perspective of nursing (Black, 2014). Orem published her theory in 1959 and continued to develop her model, eventually formalizing three interrelated theories: theory of self-care, theory of self-care deficit, and theory of nursing system (Black, 2014). The focus of Orem’s model is the patient’s self-care capacity. The process helps to design a nursing process specific to each patient that will provide for the self-care deficit of the patient (Black, 2014). Self-care deficits exist when the patient has limitations and the self-care requirement is greater than he patient’s capacity (Manzini & Simonetti, 2009).
Nursing theory can be applied to resolve nursing problems or issues, irrespective of the field of practice. A nursing theory benefits nurses and the patients that are in his or her charge. . Depending on the issue or problem that is needed to be solved determines what theory needs to be used. Nursing theory started with Florence Nightingale. She believed that a clean environment would promote better health. Virginia Henderson’s need theory emphasizes the need to ensure that the patient’s independence is being increased while in a health care facility. Ensuring that a patient can increase his or her independence allows for them to experience better outcomes upon discharge home. This is just two examples of nursing theories that were used
The nursing process is based upon five steps. The first step is the assessment phase; this can range from body system specific to head-to-toe assessment. These assessments are both subjective and objective and must be properly documented, organized and validated (Taylor et al, 2011). The second phase of the nursing process is formulating a diagnosis. The nurse identifies the patient’s needs and strengths from reviewing the previous assessments and determines what the nursing diagnosis should be. Then comes the planning phase where the nurse organizes the interventions by priority based upon the assessments and creates a plan for the patient to work on ...
Nursing theories are actions care that a nurse provides to a patient to prevent a sickness, maintain and promote health. Many of the theorists contribute to a frame work or a blueprint of how nurses should provide care to patients. Many these theories are part of nursing care and most of them they go hand in hand. Nursing theory aims to describe, predict and explain the phenomenon of nursing (Chinn and Jacobs1978).Nursing is apprehensive with laws and principles governing the life processes and functioning of sick or well human beings. Nursing theories are beneficial in understanding the knowledge of nursing and its application (Smith and Liehr, 2008).
Describes the purpose of nursing is to help others recognize their felt problems. Nurses should apply principles of human relations to the difficulties that arise at all levels of experience. Peplau's theory describes the phases of interpersonal process, roles in nursing situations and methods for studying nursing as an interpersonal process. She defined nursing as the therapeutic relationship between both individuals; therefore, it necessitated that the nurse interact with the patient purposefully (Senn, 2013, p. 32). Nursing is therapeutic in that it is a healing art, helping an individual who is sick or in necessity of health care. Nursing is an interpersonal process because it implicates interaction between two or more individuals with a common goal. The attainment of goal is achieved through the use of a sequence of steps following a series of pattern. The nurse and patient work together so both become mature and knowledgeable in the
Marriner-Tomey, A., & Alligood, M. R. (2006). Nursing theorists and their work. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby/Elsevier.
Tomey, A.M., & Alligood, M.R. (2006). Nursing theorists and their work (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier.