COLLEGE OF NURSING

THEORY
 is an organized system of accepted knowledge that is composed of concepts and
proposition that explain the relationship between the concepts.

CONCEPT
 an idea formulated by the mind or an experienced that is used to generate theory.
 The building blocks of theory
 2 TYPES:
1. Abstract concept
2. Concrete concept

DEFINITION
 it composed of various descriptions which convey a general meaning
 Types of definition:
1. Conceptual Definition- Are meaning of a word based on how a certain theory
perceives it to be
2. Operational Definition- meaning of a word based on the how the person come
up with that perception.

ASSUMPTION
 a statement that specifies the relationship or connection of factual concepts
 A fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true.

SCIENCE
 a system of acquiring knowledge based on the scientific method.
 The scientific method includes several steps:
1. OBSERVATION- integration of knowledge by a rational being
2. GATHERING DATA- collection of data for a particular scientific problem
3. FORMING HYPOTHESIS- an attempt to explain or suggest a nature of a
phenomenon
4. EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION- a set of examinations done to solve the
particular query raised through hypothesis process
5. CONCLUSION- a statement explaining a set of natural phenomena derived from
Experimental Investigation

KNOWLEDGE

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  information , skills and expertise acquired by a person through various life
experiences, or through formal/ informal learning such formal education, self-study,
vocational
 Facts and information gained through experience of a fact or situation.
 Knowledge acquirement involves several cognitive processes.
 TYPES OF COGNITIVE PROCESS
1. PERCEPTION- achieving understanding of sensory data
2. ASSOCIATION- combining 2 or more concepts to form a new concept
3. LEARNING- acquiring experience, skills, information and values
4. REASONING- mental process of seeking conclusions through reason
5. COMMUNICATION- transferring data from sender to receiver using different
mediums or tools of communication.

 3 SOURCES:
1. TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE- a nursing practice which is passed down from
generation to generation.
2. AUTHORITATIVE KNOWLEDGE- an idea by a person of authority which is
perceived as true because of her expertise
3. SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE- a type of knowledge which came from a scientific
method through research.

PHENOMENON
 as sets of experiences that can be physically observed or tangible such as crying or
grimacing when in pain.
 In nursing, phenomena can be:
 environmental setting of nursing
 disease process
 client’s behavior
 interventions

What is nursing?
 Nursing is the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual or potential
health problems.
 An autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and
communities, sick or well and in all care settings.

Nursing Theory
In general, nursing theory describes and explains the
phenomena of interest to nursing in a systematic way
in order to provide understanding for use in nursing
practice and research.

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COMPONENT OF A THEORY
1.Context- resembles environment to which nursing act takes place
2. Content- subject of the theory
3. Process- method by which nurse acts in using nursing theory
PURPOSES OF NURSING THEORY :

A. IN EDUCATION
 Nursing theories were primarily used to develop and guide nursing education
in universities and institutions.
 Theoretical concepts primarily prepare students for practice as members of the
professional community.

B. IN RESEARCH
 A systematic investigation to establish facts.
 Offer a framework for generating knowledge and new ideas through the
evolution of technology, ideas, and emerging nursing issues and
interpretations are generated to provide answers to questions encountered in
practice.

C. IN PRACTICE
 Theories thoroughly guide decision-making in nursing practice.
 Enhance autonomy of nursing through defining its own independent functions.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF NURSING THEORIST:

THEORIST PRACTICE EDUCATION RESEARCH

Florence *Environmental *Development of *Invented the “polar
Nightingale aspects as integral excellent training diagrams” to
part of nursing care system in St. analyze and gather
Thomas Hospital & data
King’s College
Hospital in London
Virginia Henderson *Nurses as direct *Designed three *Recommended
caregiver help phases of library research
patients to become curriculum *Advocated
independent development research as way to
improve practice

FOUR WAYS OF KNOWING:

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  Empirics- the scientific discipline of nursing
 Ethics- the moral directions of nursing
 Personal- method by which nurses approach their patients
 Aesthetic or Esthetics- deals with the emphatic aspect of nursing
A. EMPIRICAL KNOWING
 Empirical knowing is the first primary model of knowing
 it emphasizes scientific research is important to nursing knowledge
 as a part of empirics, clinical and conceptual knowledge are the keys to nursing
practice

B. AESTHETIC KNOWING

 It is related to understanding what is of significance to particular patients

 Is used in the process of giving appropriate nursing care through understanding the
uniqueness of every patient.

C. ETHICAL KNOWING

 Requires knowledge of different philosophical positions regarding what is good and

right in making moral actions and decisions.
 It is deeply rooted in the concepts of human dignity, service and respect for life.

D. PERSONAL KNOWING

 Encompasses knowledge of the self in relation to others and to self .

 It stresses that human beings are not in a fixed state but are constantly engaged in a
dynamic state of changes.

NURSING PARADIGM:

1. PERSON
 Person as the recipient of care possesses attributes that must be considered in
the performance of nursing actions.
 Nursing models using a health promotion approach describe recipient of care
as holistic, biological, spiritual, psychological, social beings made up of more
than a sum of their parts.
 People’s experiences are a part of their very essence of being, and thus
knowledge of their past, present and possible future experience must be
considered when planning their care
 A person is perceived as having many needs and capable of achieving and
maintaining optimum health.
 Maslow describes the person as a social being having many common needs
that motivate behavior.
2. ENVIRONMENT
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  A major influence on a person’s overall functioning and health promotion
activities.
 Florence Nightingale who is the founder of contemporary nursing, described
her whole philosophy of nursing in terms of environmental factors that influence
health and disease.
 The environment consists of both an internal and external environment.
 Internal environment include their ideas, biological makeup and the
psychosocial elements that influence them.
 External environment consists of more than the physical surroundings which
consist of all events and influences that occur externally.

3. HEALTH
 In the late 1950s and the 1960s the health care field was influenced by Dunn’s
definition of Health, which indicated that the concepts of health and illness were
two opposed views.
 DEFINITIONS OF HEALTH
1. One approach is to describe health in terms of the role of the person in
society.
2. To determine health status by finding out if a person is free from disease.

4. NURSING
 Nurse theorist usually describe nursing in terms of what the nurse does for the
client.
 Nursing is the reason why nurses come together with client and why they
interact with him.
 Nurses work with people in a variety of settings and assist in meeting health
care needs of individual client, groups, society and community.

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