How to create a Personal Theoretical Framework in nursing

How to create a Personal Theoretical Framework in nursing

Today’s healthcare system is characterized by the increasing complexity of patient needs that require nurses to be objective to provide quality care. To deliver exceptional patient care, nurses must be objective through the acquisition of knowledge, insight, and skills (Cheraghi et al., 2019). Too often, nurses dismiss philosophy as something obscure, but the utilization of reflective practices, questioning patient care, and understanding the profession all represent philosophical thinking. Philosophy provides nurses with the tools that guide nursing practice and care delivery in the ever-changing healthcare environment (Whelton, 2017). Philosophy helps nurses to utilize theoretical knowledge, think critically, and reflect on their values, beliefs, and practices to improve patient outcomes.

Personal Philosophy

The philosophical umbrella of nursing affects how nurses view the profession, illness, and how care influences positive outcomes (Cheraghi et al., 2019). Understanding the nature of appropriate nursing care has always driven me to provide quality care. I view nursing as a profession that assists patients, families, and communities to promote and maintain their health. While most people will view nursing as a source of employment, I regard it as a profession rooted in the core value of care. Without a caring attitude, nursing will not be different from medicine and other medical professions. My philosophy is that nurses must be prepared to provide high-quality-patient centered care that is supported by theory and evidence-based practice.

Understanding the nature of appropriate nursing care and the importance of nursing knowledge has been critical during my nursing practice. I have acquired an appropriate understanding of the foundation of nursing and the major paradigms that define the profession. For instance, the human/person paradigm focuses on the receiving of care which includes the patient, family members, and other groups significant to the patient (Bender, 2018). To effectively deliver care, the nurse should address the person’s spiritual and social needs. Understanding this paradigm of care has enabled me to develop a holistic attitude that considers humans as integral to care delivery. Actions like talking to the patient, advocacy, and fighting for their rights represent nursing care beyond mind and body.

The second paradigm that I find important in building the philosophy of nursing is the environment. This component describes what surrounds the patient including the family, friends, and factors like culture, economic conditions, and technology (Deliktas et al., 2019). During my care for patients, both the internal and external environment are crucial to influencing quality outcomes. Drawing my actions from Nightingale’s environmental theory, I believe the environment can be modified to improve the health status of patients. Promoting good relationships with families, involving families in patient care, and collaborating with the community all describe my role as a nurse.

Working as a nurse has expanded my understanding that patients do not fit into neat packages with predictable needs, they are all unique. The nursing paradigm requires nurses to deliver care while considering the individual needs of patients (Deliktas et al., 2019). My role is to apply theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and innovation to carry out duties and responsibilities. Apart from this philosophy, nurses should strive to maintain the physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being of patients (Bender, 2018). Knowledge of the health paradigm has enabled me to provide patients with an opportunity to influence their health. Using approaches like health education and disease prevention I always ensure to give patients a chance to influence their health outcomes.

Providing care up to the required standards can be challenging because of the different setbacks observed in healthcare environments. Standing by one’s mission, vision, and core values is what dictates responses to healthcare challenges. The core values that guide my nursing practice include honesty, kindness, lifelong learning, and justice. During care delivery, having the patient’s trust has been a critical aspect that keeps my check on the values of honesty and kindness. Bender (2018) explains that all patients are equal and no special needs should put other patients in front. Through reflective nursing and meditation, I have always managed to identify areas of weakness and seek guidance from other nurses. My vision is to provide the absolute best care to patients regardless of their culture, race, financial status, or beliefs. Through education and experience, my mission is to provide competent and compassionate care to all patients.

Theoretical Framework

Nursing practice always has value, but there is more value in using nursing knowledge in influencing nursing practices. One of the ways to add value to nursing practice is the utilization of nursing theories that form the foundation of the profession. The philosophical attitudes of great significance to the profession are rooted in theories that help nurses with their roles (Cheraghi et al., 2019). One of the nursing theories, or rather frameworks that guide the development of my philosophy is Betty Neuman’s systems theory. The theory views human beings as open systems that are always responding to the stressors in the environment (Montano, 2021). This theory has improved my understanding of nursing and guided my practice toward achieving quality patient outcomes.

Neuman’s theory identifies variables that are believed to affect the patient’s health including psychological, socio-cultural, spiritual, developmental, and physiological. Nursing is concerned with addressing all these variables to ensure the stability of the patient’s system. Apart from these five key aspects, the framework identifies the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention that can be used to respond to stressors (Ahmadi & Sadeghi, 2017). This theory aligns with my philosophy because it describes the primary role of the nurse as that of stabilizing the client system. The nurse identifies the internal and external factors that affect healing and utilizes evidence-based approaches to achieve positive outcomes. The framework also stresses the importance of involving patients and collaborating with other healthcare professionals to reduce stressors in all stages of care (Montano, 2021). I highly recognize interprofessional collaboration as an important aspect of care delivery because it improves patient outcomes.

The uniqueness of patients and their needs is a key part of the nursing philosophy emphasized in the system’s theory. Neuman’s theory view patients as open systems that work together simultaneously with the exchange of information (Ahmadi & Sadeghi, 2017). My philosophy considers this aspect because I treat patients uniquely and tries to find solutions outside medical care to address the patient’s needs. Through advancement in nursing education and actions like advocacy, I am able to address the extra-personal stressors in the patient’s environment (Montan0, 2021). Additionally, aspects that I incorporate in the patient’s care like health promotion and wellness maintenance reflect intervention modes described in the system’s framework.

Conflicting Situation

One of the major strengths of Newman’s framework is its flexibility to use in all areas of nursing education, practice, and administration. However, I find this theory difficult to apply when addressing the personal values, beliefs, and preferences of patients. Today’s healthcare is characterized by diversity where patients’ cultural preferences should be considered. Newman’s theory fails to highlight how the nurse can incorporate personal or cultural preferences, financial status, and other important aspects like the level of education in managing patients (Montano, 2021). The theory is only easy to use in an ideal patient who is well-informed about healthcare and has necessary resources that can be used to address environmental stressors.

One example I can relate to this theory is the management of a patient who has just had an aortic valve replacement. Initially, the nurse can use the psychological variable to address the stress that comes with the diagnosis. However, subsequent care of this patient will require making critical decisions, involving the family, and spending a lot of money on medication and regular checkups. Neuman’s theory does not dictate the client’s relationship with the healthcare system and individual characteristics that can be used to capture holistic care. Additionally, the theory does not provide a guide on the patient’s role in maintaining and promoting their health (Montano, 2021). These are among the characteristics that the nurse uses to plan for care and involve other healthcare teams in addressing the complex healthcare needs of patients.

 

 

 

 

References

Ahmadi, Z., & Sadeghi, T. (2017). Application of the Betty Neuman systems model in the nursing care of patients/clients with multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis Journal – Experimental, Translational and Clinical, 3(3), 2055217317726798. https://doi.org/10.1177/2055217317726798

Bender, M. (2018). Re‐conceptualizing the nursing metaparadigm: Articulating the philosophical ontology of the nursing discipline that orients inquiry and practice. Nursing Inquiry, 25(3), e12243.

https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7tb3224c

Cheraghi, F., Yousefzadeh, M. R., & Goodarzi, A. (2019). The role and status of philosophy in nursing knowledge, insight and competence. Journal of Clinical Research in Paramedical Sciences, 8(2). https://dx.doi.org/10.5812/jcrps.90762

Deliktas, A., Korukcu, O., Aydin, R., & Kabukcuoglu, K. (2019). Nursing students’ perceptions of nursing metaparadigms: A phenomenological study. The Journal of Nursing Research : JNR, 27(5), e45.

https://doi.org/10.1097/jnr.0000000000000311

Montano A. R. (2021). Neuman systems model with nurse-led interprofessional collaborative practice. Nursing Science Quarterly, 34(1), 45–53.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318420965219

Whelton B. (2017). Nursing Philosophy 2016, response to Peter Allmark’s article, “Aristotle for Nursing”. Nursing philosophy : An International Journal for Healthcare Professionals, 18(4), 10.1111/nup.12175.

https://doi.org/10.1111/nup.12175

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