Jennifer Smith's Professional Nursing Port



Concept Comparison and Analysis across Theories

Jennifer Smith

Theoretical Foundations of Nursing/NUR 513

November 5, 2009

Esther Van Baren, RN, MSN

University of Phoenix

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_____Jennifer Smith______________________ ___

Concept Comparison and Analysis

Theory has played an important role in transforming bed-side nursing care. Increased professionalism and quality patient care are a few reasons nursing transitioned toward theory-based care at the bedside. Theory provides nurses with a framework to ensure that care is meaningful and that nursing interventions are derived from theory. Theories develop over time as the theorist defines concepts, correlate relationships between concepts, tests and evaluates the relationships, and modifies the theory. Certain concepts play a common theme in nursing theories such as environment, love, and caring. This paper compares the concept of interconnectedness in Nightingale’s Theory of Environment and Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring.

The Concept of Interconnectedness

According to Love, (2008) interconnectedness reflects that people and the universe are connected in a powerful way. Despite worldly barriers such as socioeconomic status, culture, or religion individuals can share a universal reciprocity of love and caring. The concept of interconnectedness suggests that the mind, body, and spirit share a delicate balance with one and Jean Watson and Florence Nightingale both share the concept that the nurse is transformed by caring for her patient. The concept of interconnectedness is a common theme in nursing theories and lays the foundation for holistic nursing.

Nightingale

Florence Nightingale gave nursing the first published theory on nursing in her Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It is Not (1859). In this publication, she describes her reflections on nursing based on direct observations and experiences. Nightingale believed that health was interconnected with environmental, physical, and psychological factors. She describes the person as possessing physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual components. She further describes health and illnesses are part of the persons’ spiritual fulfillment (Walker & Avant, 2005).

Florence Nightingale placed a huge emphasis on the cleanliness of environment but she was also known to provide emotional and interpersonal support to patients. She believed that nurses grow spiritually closer to God for serving humankind. Many of her concepts have contributed to the framework of holistic nursing.

Jean Watson Theory of Human Caring

Jean Watson developed her theory while teaching at the University of Colorado in 1979. The number one priority of her theory is that the nurse must establish a caring nurse-patient relationship. According to University of Colorado’s website (2007), Watson believes that health is subjective and is correlated with unity and harmony of mind, body, and spirit. The transpersonal caring moment lays the foundation for her work. The transpersonal caring moment connect the soul through the process of caring. A transpersonal relationship occurs between the nurse and client as she enters his or her life space. Watson believes that the one caring, the one being cared for, other humans and the energy of the universe are interconnected (Watson, 2007).

Holistic Nursing

Holistic nursing integrates the concept of interconnectedness with self, others, nature, and God. The American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) defines holistic nursing as “healing the whole person from birth to death.” AHNA describe the holistic nurse as a facilitator in the healing process. Practicing holistic nursing require nurses to accept responsibility for their own self-care and spirituality. Holistic Nursing uses complementary modules such as biofeedback, therapeutic massage, aromatherapy and interpersonal interaction to use in conjunction with standard nursing interventions. According to the AHNA website (2009), in December of 2006, the American Nurses Association recognized holistic nursing as a nursing specialty. Holistic nursing certification teaches nurses to recognize the sensitive balance between mind-body-spirit and to integrate self-care into their own lives (Frisch, 2001).

Complementary modules have been proven through research to be beneficial to the patient. For example, aromatherapy is being used in oncology patients to promote health and well-being. Essential oils are used for inhalation and therapeutic massage. Research indicates that it promotes a feeling of well-being and has analgesic effects (Potts, 2009).

Conclusion

Florence Nightingale and Jean Watson share the common concept of interconnectedness in their theories. The theories incorporate Maslow’s hierarchy of needs because they have physiological, psychological, and spiritual needs. The theories suggest that there is a delicate balance between the physical and psychological and illness representing an imbalance between the two. They also suggest that all persons are equal regardless of worldly barriers. Both theories suggest that the nurse is transformed by providing care to the patient. The concept of interconnectedness plays an important role in current health care practices including holistic nursing. In comparison, Jean Watson’s takes her theory further describing interconnectedness with the universe. Jean Watson’s theory is broad and can be useful and relevant to other health care professions.

References

American Holistic Nurses Association. (2009). What is holistic nursing?. Retrieved

from http://

Frisch, N. (2001). Standards for holistic nursing practice: a way to think about our care

that includes complementary and alternative modalities, Online Journal of Issues in

Nursing, 6(2), Retrieved from

Love, K. (2008). Interconnectedness in nursing: a concept analysis, Journal of Holistic

Nursing, 26(4), 255-265, Retrived from CINAHL Plus with Full Text Database.

Potts, J. (2009, June). Aromatherapy in nursing practice. Australian Nursing Journal,

16(11), 55.

University of Colorado (2007). Dr. Jean Watson’s theory of human caring. Retrieved

November 9, 2009 from

Walker, L.O. & Avant, K.C. (2005). Strategies for theory construction in nursing (4th ed).

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

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