Theorist in the Field of Nursing There

¶ … Theorist

In the field of Nursing there are those individuals who had a major impact upon the way care is provided. One such person is Dorthea Orem. She developed a critical care theory that redefined the industry. To fully understand these ideas requires studying Orem's Self-Care Theory / Theoretical Framework and analyzing the different components of this approach. Together, these elements will offer specific insights about how these principals can be utilized in a modern health care environment.

Development of Orem's Self-Care Theory and Theoretical Framework

The development of Orem's Self-Care Theory was based upon experiences that Dorthea Orem would have in the real world. What happened was her positions in government gave her the ability to see the potential impact of nursing and the challenges of many individuals in the field. This took place between 1949 and 1980. During this time is when Orem was serving on the Indiana State Board of Health, in the Office of Education and on the Nursing Model Committee. The combination of these positions allowed her to visit a number of health care facilities around the country. (Hartweg, 1991, pp. 3 -- 14)

This is when she would visit with nurses, patients and doctors. A common theme that was discussed is how nurses should be allowed to do more in improving the quality of care patients are receiving. This can be accomplished by having them serve a role as caregiver and educator. At the heart of the treatment, was to have the patients' take responsibility for their health. To achieve this goal Orem outlined several different principals to include: everyone should be self-reliant, educating the patient is a part of self-care and new behaviors must be learned in a social -- cultural context. ("Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory," 2011) This is radically different from many traditional theories, which often had nurses playing less of a supporting role. As a result, the theoretical framework of this theory is based upon having the patient to be as self-reliant as possible. (Hartweg, 1991, pp. 3 -- 14)

Analysis of Critical Components of Orem's Self-Care Theory

An analysis of these principles is showing how Orem's ideas have redefined how health care solutions are delivered. The way everyone should be self-reliant is to have each person playing a major role in taking care of themselves by performing a host of tasks. When someone is feeling better is the point that this can help them to feel more independent and stronger. This improves the speed of their recovery and it prevents complications from their condition. This is important, in showing how this component is pushing everyone to take responsibility for their own health. (Hartweg, 1991, pp. 10 -- 30)

Educating the patient is when the nurse is teaching the individual and caregivers about their condition. This is accomplished by telling patients about how certain activities can have an impact on their health (i.e. smoking). The nurse will then work with them to create a program to deal with these challenges. To ensure compliance with the various strategies, health care professionals will often utilize caregivers (i.e. family members). They can help to ensure that the patient is consistently following the various provisions of their treatment protocol. Over the course of time, this will assist individuals and their caregivers in seeing how their actions can influence the underlying levels of health. (Hartweg, 1991, pp. 10 -- 30)