Theorist Identification and Rationale
Faye Abdellah is a widely recognized scholar who focused her research in twenty-one areas of patient’s needs that nurses should put their emphasis on as they offer care. Her extensive research inspired her to develop one of the best patient-centered philosophies that remain relevant in the current healthcare setup. She described a problem regarding a patient’s condition that requires a nurse to assist. Her tremendous contribution in nursing research saw her develop the Twenty-one Nursing Problem Theory. According to her, the role of the nurse is divided into four aspects which include preventative, remedial, sustenance and restorative (Logan, Tierney & Pelletier, 2013).
Preventative roles are those aimed at securing a safe environment for patients to get well. While remedial care is the one that is concerned with nutrition and elimination processes. Sustenance and restorative roles are concerned with a patient’s psychological well-being in as far as their illness is concerned. In each of these elements, the nurse takes a leading role in ensuring effectiveness. Nurses spend more time with patients than any other member of the health team. They should anticipate incorporating Abdellah’s typology into their practice since it is centered on their needs (Birks & Mills, 2015).
Just like other theorists, Faye Abdellah recognizes the fact that nursing is an art and science. As a nurse practitioner, one must mold themselves with technical skills, intellectual competencies, and the right attitude. Besides, the nurse should have passion and capability to help people who are sick to bear with their health challenges. In as much as Abdellah stressed the importance of approaches aimed at the patient, she meant that nurses were supposed to identify particullar problems according to their knowledge and ways. By so doing, they will be in a position to intervene appropriately, resulting in better outcomes (Vallacher & Wegner, 2014).
It is crucial for the nurse to ensure that a stronger interpersonal relationship exists between patients and caregivers. Patients will undoubtedly open up to caregivers after a rapport has been established. Health facilities need to come up with mechanisms that will facilitate a healthy nurse-patient relationship. How well a care giver approaches their patient determines the outcome. According to Abdellah, interpersonal relationships between a nurse and patient play a crucial role in health care (Patton, Renn, Guido, Quaye & Forney, 2016).
Abdellah’s typology is not only an essential tool in evaluating a student’s clinical experiences but can also be used to assess work done by nurses. One can just evaluate the nurse by checking the outcomes of their interventions. The twenty-one nursing problems can be applied in all departments where patient-centered care is their core objective. Just by looking at her typology, it is easier for a nurse to evaluate the aspect of patient care that has not been met adequately. They would then look at a different approach that would result in desirable patient outcomes (Bhaskar, 2013).
Abdellah’s Twenty-one Nursing Problem typology may not be widely practiced in clinical practice, but it remains a perfect example of a ground theory that can be of significant benefit to patients. Nurses should be encouraged not only to use the approach in their research but also put it into practice. Patient-centered approaches are being sought after by clinicians and nurses in the current system of healthcare delivery. In these methods, the patient’s values, as well as their input, are seriously taken into consideration as they significantly influence the outcomes.
References
Bhaskar, R. (2013). A realist theory of science. Routledge.
Birks, M., & Mills, J. (2015). Grounded theory: A practical guide. Sage.
French, S. D., Green, S. E., O’Connor, D. A., McKenzie, J. E., Francis, J. J., Michie, S., … & Grimshaw, J. M. (2012). Developing theory-informed behaviour change interventions to implement evidence into practice: a systematic approach using the Theoretical Domains Framework. Implementation Science, 7(1), 38.
Logan, W. W., Tierney, A. J., & Pelletier, I. J. O. (2013). Nursing Theorists of Historical Significance. Nursing Theorists and Their Work, 43.
Patton, L. D., Renn, K. A., Guido, F. M., Quaye, S. J., & Forney, D. S. (2016). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice. John Wiley & Sons.
Vallacher, R. R., & Wegner, D. M. (2014). A theory of action identification. Psychology Press.
