Borrowed Theory Can Be Useful in Understanding Essay

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borrowed theory can be useful in understanding nursing problems and trials. This essay will broach the problem listed in previous submissions by applying a new theoretical model to the problem. This essay will use a borrowed theory from another discipline in order to measure its effectiveness and importance within the nursing and medical professions.

Problem Summary With Middle Theory

The original problem identified at my hospital saw the patient satisfaction scores becoming more and more poor, as the nursing and caring aspects of this practice on my ward has been in bad shape. A useful middle theory was applied to help understand this problem. Benner's learning theory was applied in this case to help understand how nurses may or may not learn new behaviors. These behaviors would take shape in new practices that would be enforced by new learning and new rules.

Benner's theory explained how professionals, such as nursing approach learning in distinct stages. Benner's suggested that these 5 levels of proficiency include: Novice, Advanced Beginner, Competent, Proficient, Expert. According to Benner (1982) herself "experience, as it is understood and used in the acquisition of expertise, has a particular definition that should be clarified. As it is described in this model, experience is not the mere passage of time or longevity; it is the refinement of preconceived notions and theory by encountering many actual practical situations that add nuances or shades of differences to theory. Theory offers what can be made explicit and formalized, but clinical practice is always more complex and presents many more realities that can be capture by theory alone," (p. 407). Benner ultimately reveals that her theory is useful for gathering and attaining knowledge, however real learning must be gathered through experience and trial and error. Learning by mistake is helpful, but in the nursing profession, mistakes are often catastrophic and there is often little room for error when treating patients.

Borrowed Theory Description and Origins

In order for the nursing profession to stay relevant and positive in its ability to heal and treat the sick, ill and wounded in their communities. Nursing theories borrowed from other areas of knowledge suggests that there are common and general principles that span the entire breadth of human knowledge. By opening up alternative means and ways of applying knowledge through research, less risk may be assumed by nurses in their practical application of such new theories which are often met with strong resistance.

It is important to know how and why nursing should borrow certain theories and how they may be applied. Reason and experience help temper these choices but in the end it is imperative that researching based upon borrowed theories are tested and applied in an appropriate manner. "Thus, nurse researchers must examine the extent to which theories borrowed from other disciplines are empirically adequate in nursing situations. Nurse researchers must continue their commitment to the advancement of nursing knowledge. Only then can nursing be assured its continued development as a legitimate professional discipline. Indeed no one discipline can claim health or health promotion as its sole domain. Nurses must be confident that their practice is based on theories that are appropriate for nursing situations. Nurses should be able to articulate to their interdisciplinary colleagues and to the public how what we do is consistent with theories and research from our professional discipline, " (p.163).

Human Need Theory

A useful borrowed theory that can be applied in this case is the Nursing Need Theory developed by Virginia Henderson. Henderson derived this theory with ingredients of both education and experience. Henderson' viewed the patient as an individual with independent needs and believed that nursing should eventually restore this level of self independence as it referred to healing and medicine. In other words the nurse's role in this theory is supplementary and complementary with the ultimate goal of helping the person becoming as independent as possible. "The unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible" (Henderson, 1966).

Henderson in the development of her theory was unsatisfied with the nursing education and how it viewed patients. To her nursing was a 'concept', or an art form. The human being and not the treatment, doctor or nurse was the focal point in this theory where human needs becomes the central point in the healing process.

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To help in this theory, Henderson accompanied her model with 14 components of nursing care. This extremely practical model demonstrated how and why things can be done in accordance with the human being's emotional, social and familial needs being taken care of in the process.

The borrowing of this theory came from Maslow's theory that humans have a hierarchy of needs. ." He postulated, based on his observations as a humanistic psychologist, that there is a general pattern of needs recognition and satisfaction that people follow in generally the same sequence. He also theorized that a person could not recognize or pursue the next higher need in the hierarchy until her or his currently recognized need was substantially or completely satisfied, a concept called prepotency," (Gawel, 1997). Henderson used this mainly psychological theory to cross reference here ideas based upon nursing theory. Henderson's Need theory is expressly dedicated and based upon Maslow's of hierarchy of human needs. This hierarchy of needs is ordered in 5 descending steps: Self-Actualization, Esteem, Belongingness, Safety and Physiological. Maslow assumed that people do not feel a higher need until one of the others on the hierarchy is attained. This theory approaches human development and learning in a linear and cycle based on human and emotional needs as expressed by both the patient and the nurse who is involved in treating the patient.

Applying Borrowed Theory

In order to apply the borrowed theory of Henderson's theory the motivation from the nurse must center around the ability for the patient to become more independent and able on their own. Nurses using this needs assessment can apply Henderson's 14 fundamental needs as a guide for their progress. Henderson's impact on nursing and nursing education has been well received and the needs paradigm that she created allows nurses and medical professionals to return to the patient as the most important part of the healing process.

The 14 fundamental needs have served as a beacon of humanity in the development of other nursing theories and practices that this borrowed theory originates from. Henderson has made numerous contributions in the nursing profession which has been a basis of most nursing schools. One of her long list of contributions is her well-known definition of nursing which calls for the nurse to be an expert and an independent practitioner being equipped with the right knowledge in basic nursing care to achieve its goal's definition. Her definition along with the 14 basic needs brought tremendous changes in our field of practice. It has made advancement, especially in the teaching of nursing interventions relevant to specific disease conditions. The 14 fundamental needs, as proposed by the theorist, lead a great emphasis on the assistive and supportive role of the nurse in managing patient care.

By applying Henderson's nursing process of: Nursing Assessment, Nursing Diagnosis, Nursing Plan, and Nursing Implementation, a full and total approach is created that makes every action and behavior traceable to this 4 step action sequence. This plan of approach coupled with Henderson's 14 human needs provides a base line plan for modern nursing that has taken in the advances of other research, primarily human psychology, and aligned these ideas with the nursing profession.

Applying Human Needs Theory to This Problem

The problem that has been identified in my ward can be summarily addressed with the application of Henderson's borrowed theory. Aligning the needs of the patient and the duties of the nursing staff is askew and could be readjusted for better performance. The general nature of this theory and the expanded inclusion of important human needs as taken from the more general psychological theory of Manslow, a useful recipe is created that can transcend this problem and reevaluate the scenario for a more realistic performance. The problems of communication and low patient satisfaction at my ward can be attributed to the lack of care and attention that is placed on the patient, where policy and materials play a much larger role in a more profit driven environment that nursing has become in recent years. Henderson's theory explicitly and obviously gives credence to the needs of the patient and places their needs as the top priority. Henderson's theory becomes useful because it touches on the more mysterious aspects of nursing and human cooperation. Treating people must include treating their emotional and psychological states of being, Henderson knew this from experience and her….....

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