ABDELLAH’S THEORY
SUBMTTED TO SUBMITTED BY
MISS UPMA SIMRAN CHAUHAN
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR M.Sc(N)1ST YEAR
(CHILD HEALTH NURSING)
Introduction
Faye Glenn Abdellah was one of the
most influential nursing theorist and
public health scientists. It is extremely
rare to find someone who has dedicated
all her life to the advancement of the
nursing profession and accomplish this
Biography
Faye Glenn Abdellah was born on March 13, 1919, in New York City.
EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS
l In 1942, Abdellah earned a nursing diploma from Fitkin Memorial
Hospitals School of Nursing New Jersey (now Ann May School of
Nursing).
l She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in 1945, a Master of Arts
degree in 1947 and Doctor of Education in Teacher’s College, Columbia
University.
l In 1947 she also took Master of Arts Degree in Physiology
AS AN EDUCATOR AND RESEARCHER
lAbdellah went on to become a nursing instructor and researcher and
helped transform the focus of the profession from disease centered to
patient centered.
l She expanded the role of nurses to include care of families and the
elderly.
l She worked in many settings: She had been a staff nurse, a head
nurse, a faculty member at Yale University and at Columbia
University, a public health nurse, a researcher and an author of more
than 147 articles and books.
l She was selected as Deputy Surgeon General in 1982. She retired in
1989.
WHAT HAS INFLUENCED ABDELLAH IN
THE DEVELOPMENT OF HER OWN
MODEL OF NURSING ?
In 1937 – She wanted to be a nurse on the day she saw Hindenburg
explode.
In1949 – She spent 40 years in Public Health Service where she first
became involved in research, being assigned to perform studies to
improve nursing practices.
In1960 – She was influenced by the desire to promote client-
centered comprehensive nursing care.
ABDELLAH’S TYPOLOGY OF 21
NURSING PROBLEMS
• BASIC TO ALL PATIENTS
1. To maintain good hygiene and physical comfort
2. To promote optimal activity: exercise, rest, and sleep
3. To promote safety through prevention of accident , injury, or other trauma
and through the prevention of the spread of infection
4. To maintain good body mechanics and prevent and correct deformity
CONTD………
SUSTAINAL CARE NEEDS:
5. Facilitate the maintenance of a supply of oxygen to all body cells
6. To facilitate the maintenance of nutrition of all body cells.
7. To facilitate the maintenance of elimination.
8. To facilitate the maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance
CONTD......
9 To recognize the physiological responses of the body to disease
conditions.
10 To facilitate the maintenance of regulatory mechanisms and
functions .
11 To facilitate the maintenance of sensory function.
CONTD......
REMEDIAL CARE NEEDS:
• 12. To identify and accept positive and negative expressions, feelings,
and reactions
• 13. To identify and accept interrelatedness of emotions and organic
illness –
• 14. To facilitate the maintenance of effective verbal and nonverbal
communication
contd....
15. To promote the development of productive interpersonal
relationships
16. To facilitate progress toward achievement of personal , spiritual
goals
17. To create and/or maintain a therapeutic environment
18. To facilitate awareness of self as an individual with varying
physical, emotional, and developmental needs
CONTD..............
RESTORATIVE CARE NEEDS:
• 19. To accept the optimum possible goals in the light of
limitations, physical, and emotional
• 20. To use community resources as an aid in resolving problems
arising from illness
• 21. To understand the role of social problems as influencing,
factors in the cause of illness.
CHARACTERISTICS
1. Abdellah theory has interrelated the concept of health,
nursing problems and problem solving.
2. Problem solving is an activity: logical in nature.
3. Framework focus on nursing practice and individuals.
4. Easy to apply in practice.
ASSUMPTION
1.Learn to know the patient.
2.Sort out relevant and signifucant data.
3.Identify the therapeutic plan.
4.Validate the patients conclusion about his nursing problems.
CONTD.....................
5 .Continue to observe and evaluate the patient or a period of
time to identify any attitudes and clues affecting this behaviour.
6 .Identify hoe the nurse feels about the patients nursing
problems.
7 . Discuss and develop a comprehensive nursing care plan.
METAPARADIGM
HEALTH
NURSI METAPAE PERSO
NG ADIGM N
ENVIRO
NMENT
NURSING SKILLS: the eleven skills that a nurse
must possess includes
1) Teaching of
1) Observation of patients and
health status families
2) Skills of 2) Planning and
communicatio organization of
n work
3) Application of
knowledge
CONTD..........
6) Use of resource materials
7) Use of personnel resources
8) Problem-solving
9) Direction of work of others.
!0) Therapeutic use of the self
11) Nursing procedures
PURPOSES OF ABDELLAH's THEORY
• IN NURSING
PRACTICE
• IN NURSING
EDUCATION
• IN NURSING
RESEARCH
USES OF 21PROBLEMS IN NURSING PROCESS
1.ASSESSMENT PHASE
2. NURSING DIAGNOSIS
3. PLANNING PHASE
4. IMPLEMENTATION
5. EVALUATION
APPLICATION OF ABDELLAH THEORY
• EXAMPLE: The case of Samar: He experienced severe
chest pain. In addition he experienced shortness of breadth,
tachycardia and profuse diaphoresis.
Assessment reveals: cardiac damage
Past History: He had gone through similar episodes since
past 2 years.
Main problems:
1.Pain
2.Impaired cardiac functioning`
3.Work related stress
4. Failure to seek medical attention
STAGES OF ILLNESS ABDELLAH NURSING CRITERIA
NSG INTERVENTIO MEASURES
PROBLEMS NS
Basic too care To maintain good • Assess the level of Amount of pain
hygiene and physical pain
comfort. • Reposition of client
time to time
• Provide analgesic
as per doctor’s
prescription.
Susternal care need To facilitate the • Promote rest Vital signs
maintenance of supply • Place in sitting
of oxygen to body position
cells. • Promote deep
breathing and
coughing exercise.
• Implement
exercises as
tolerated
Remedial care needs To udentify and • To find the Knowledge of
accept the nature of his relationship
interrelatedness job. between the stress
of emotional and • Explore his and his illness
organic illness. work related
goal.
• Stress
associated
with job
Restorative care needs To use comunity • Teach early Knowledge about
resourses as an signs and the use of
aid in resolving symptoms of community
problems arising cardiac resources
from illness. distress .
• Teach course
of action
LIMITATIONS
• The major limitation of Abdellah theory and the twenty one nursing
problems is their very strong nursing centered orientation. With the
orientation appropriate use might be the organization of teaching content
for nursing students, the evaluation of a students, performance in the
clinical area or both. But in terms of client care there is little emphasis on
what the client is to achieve.
CONCLUSION
• Using Abdellah’s concepts of health, nursing problems, and problem
solving, the theoretical statement of nursing that can be derived is
the use of the problem solving approach with key nursing problems
related to health needs of people. From this framework, 21 nursing
problems were developed.
• Abdellah’s theory provides a basis for determining and organizing
nursing care. The problems also provide a basis for organizing
appropriate nursing strategies.
