Orem 's Theory in Nursing Research Paper

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Theory Application: Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Theory

Introduction

Dorothea Orem was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1914 and received her BSN in 1939 and her MSN in 1945. She was a staff nurse, a private duty nurse, a nurse educator and a nurse consultant throughout her career. In 1976 she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science for her work in the nursing field. Her theory of self-care was published in 1971 (Nursing Theories, 2012). This paper will describe the theory, my rationale for selecting it, how it could be implemented in a hospital setting, what barriers to implementation there might be and how to overcome them.

Theory

Underlying Orem’s theory of self-care is the assumption that self-reliance is a quality people should possess for the sake of their own health. Inherent in the theory is the idea that by boosting a patient’s health literacy, the patient’s ability to engage in self-care and be self-reliant increases. Orem’s contribution to nursing was based on the observation that dependent care was a behavior that was learned by people in modern society and that, as such, it could be unlearned so that self-care could be taught (Orem, 1991). The theory of self-care showed that patients, so long as they were physically and mentally able, could initiate and provide care for themselves and thereby effectively maintain a healthy lifestyle.

One of the most important features of this theory is that it emphasizes the need of nurses to educate their patients so that the patients can embark upon self-care. As self-care is ultimately preventative in nature, the increase of health literacy to enhance self-care aligns with preventative care. The nurse’s duty is to assess the health of the patient, obtain information on the patient’s perspective of health; identify health goals, lifestyle of the patient and so on; evaluate the patient’s needs in terms of self-care, and decide the patient’s ability to provide self-care.

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With that information, the nurse then designs a system to enable self-care, using an educative process so that the patient learns and knows how to conduct self-care in an effective manner (Whelan, 1984).

Rationale

My rationale for selecting this nursing theory is that it is rational and aligns with the need for more preventative care in hospital settings. Patients come to hospitals for care because they do not have a high level of health literacy, which they could use to engage in self-care. If patients were simply taught the very basic steps of self-care for their individual health issues, there would be less need and less dependency upon the hospital for care. This would in turn free up space in the hospital for other patients and increase access to care for patients who require it. By increasing the general knowledge of patients, the nurse can better assist the population and prevent further health illnesses from forming.

The strengths of this nursing theory are that it allows the nurse to have a comprehensive foundation for nursing practice, and it has a great deal of utility in the field and works to empower both nurses and patients. The theory is good at showing where and what kind of nursing actions are needed based on the framework it provides. And finally the theory aligns with modern approaches to health, such as the need for preventative care to be increased in….....

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