Assumption of Self-care Model
Every theory relies on a particular assumption and proposition that guides its existence. Orem’s self-care deficit theory is no exception to this phenomenon. According to Masters, (2012) the assumptions identify the major concepts of the theory and show their interrelationships, which are of the essence in demonstrating the beliefs held by the theorist. The central premise of the Orem’s self-care theory is that all individuals have the self-capability of taking care of self and others without that capability. The assumption further states that nurse should only act up to the level that one is unable to meet his/her self-care needs. By so doing, the theory enables the individual to meet his/her needs that are paramount in the attainment of well-being status.
Lastly, this theory identifies a meta-paradigm interaction of concepts in nursing. In this model, the key concepts include a person, health, nursing and environment. They have an intertwined relationship in which they overlap in their interactions. For instance, the health of a person changes depending on the environment, which a nurse provides (Meleis, 2012). Such an illustration depicts that these nursing concepts are in constant interactions and their reliance on each other is noteworthy.
Propositions of Self-care Model
A proposition refers to statements describing the relationships between events, actions, and situations. They are products of openly challenged assumptions of a certain theory. The self-care model has also suffered this fate through active criticism of its major assumptions (Meleis, 2012). An analysis of the universal propositions is inevitable, as it will demonstrate the accuracy of this statement.
Firstly and most importantly, people learn and recall the art of providing own self-care and or care for the dependents. Masters, (2012) is of the idea that people should possess self-reliance and self–responsibility for their own and dependent’s care.
Secondly, another proposition is human beings are distinct. Self-care requisites that one needs are very different from another person and thus the uniqueness. The distinctness of one’s needs is subject to influence by age, developmental state, past experiences and the sociocultural environment. Such factors thus control the plan of care since they prescribed the essential self-care needs of an individual (Meleis, 2012). A proposition of this kind is the sole reason for the individualization of care in the contemporary nursing practice.
Thirdly, a nurse is an agent whose action occurs through after interaction with other people. The nurses while acting in their various roles must assess the individual self-care capability and help him/her to rid of a self-care deficit. Close to that, is another proposition, which states that nurses engage in selecting proper and most reliable procedures, technologies or interventions that are essential in meeting self-care needs (Masters, 2012).
Furthermore, correction of self-care deficits must balance between self-care demands and self-care. Without such equilibrium, the elimination of the self-care deficits remains a challenge. That notwithstanding there is a proposition that therapeutic self-care comprises of the three nursing system that should be in use as per the needs of a patient (Meleis, 2012). They include the wholly compensatory, partly compensatory, and supportive-educative systems.
Lastly, another key proposition that exists include is that self-care or dependent care is under the mediation of certain factors such as age, developmental stage, sociocultural background, health and resources (Masters, 2012).
In conclusion, Orem’s self-care model has several propositions that inform its current existence. Thus, knowledge of these propositions can steer nursing in the ascending direction.
REFERENCES
Masters, K. (2012). Nursing theories. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Meleis, A. I. (2012). Theoretical nursing: Development and progress. Philadelphia, Pa: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
