NCM 100: THEORITICAL FOUNDATION OF NURSING
NURSING
PHILOSOPHY
THEORY From Greek word “philosophia” which literally
A set of concepts, definitions, relationships and means love of wisdom.
assumptions that project a systematic view of a Academic discipline that exercises reason and
phenomena. logic in an attempt to understand reality and
answers fundamental questions about knowledge,
NURSING THEORY life, morality, and human nature.
Body of knowledge that is used to support nursing Specifies the definition of paradigm concepts in
practice. each conceptual models of nursing.
Framework designed to organize knowledge and Provides a broad understanding and direction.
explain phenomena in nursing
Set of interrelated concepts that attempts to NURSING PHILOSOPHY
describe/explain the phenomenon of nursing. Is the next level of knowledge after
Creative products of nurses who seek (or sought) metaparadigm, it specifies the definitions of nursing
to thoughtfully describe the many aspects of paradigm concepts.
nursing in ways that could be studied, evaluated
and used by other nurses. CONCEPTUAL MODELS/FRAMEWORKS
PURPOSES: NURSING THEORY Representation of ideas.
1. It guides nursing practice and generates Interaction among and between the concepts
knowledge. showing patterns.
2. It helps to describe or explain nursing It allows concepts in nursing theory to be
3. Enables nurses to know WHY they are doing successfully applied to nursing practice.
WHAT they are doing. Concepts that specifies their relationship to
form an organized perspective for viewing the
WHY DO WE STUDY NURSING THEORY phenomena.
❖ Everyday practice enriches theory
❖ Both practice and theory are guided by values and COMPARISON:
beliefs CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
❖Theory helps to reframe our thinking about nursing Narrower scope
❖ Theory guides use of ideas and techniques Very specific, structured
❖ Theory can close the gaps between theory and Derived primarily from concepts, specific
research variables that identified in the study
Are representation of idea or body of
NURSING THEORY: knowledge base on the own understanding or
- Explains perception of a person or researcher on a
- Describes certain topic, phenomena or nursing.
NURSING THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
- Predicts
CARE Broader scope
- Prescribes
General concept, less structured
NURSING Derived from existing theories
• Professional discipline (Donaldson and Crowley) Are highly established set of concepts that are
testable.
NURSING PARADIGM
is a framework that guides the practice,
education, and research in the field of nursing.
explains the linkages of science, philosophy, SCIENCE
and theory accepted and applied by the Latin word “scientia”, meaning KNOWLEDGE
discipline. System of acquiring knowledge based on
specific method.
METAPARADIGMS IN NURSING Organized knowledge base on research
PERSON
ENVIRONMENT SCIENTIFIC METHOD
HEALTH 1. Observation
2. Gathering Data OPERATIONAL
3. Forming Hypothesis Meaning of the word based on the method of
4. Experimental Investigation how it was measured
5. Conclusion/Theoretical Explanation DISCRETE
Identifies categories or classes of phenomena
KNOWLEDGE e.g. Typologies of marital status: single, married,
Expertise and skills acquired by person through widowed
experience and education CONTINUOUS
Classifications of dimensions or gradation of
TYPES OF COGNITIVE PROCESSES phenomena.
1. PERCEPTION e.g. degree of marital conflict
2. ASSOCIATION
3. LEARNING CHAPTER II
4. REASONING Importance of Nursing Theory
5. COMMUNICATION Aims to describe, predicts, and explain the
phenomenon of nursing
SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE Provides the foundation of nursing practice,
1. TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE help to generate further knowledge and indicate
2. AUTHORITATIVE KNOWLEDGE in which direction nursing should develop in the
3. SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE future.
Helps us decide what we know and what we
PHENOMENON need to know.
❑ An aspect of reality that can be consciously sensed Helps to distinguish what should form the basis
or experienced (Meleis, 2011) of practice by explicitly describing nursing
❑A nursing phenomenon is frequently described as an Include better patient care, enhance
experience (e.g., fatigue) or related experiences that professional status for nurses, improved
influences health status and is relevant to nursing communication between nurses, and guidance
practice (e.g., postpartum fatigue, post traumatic stress for research and education.
disorder, burnout, job satisfaction, maternal child It is vital to have the theory to analyze and
attachment, care coordination) (University of Maryland) explain what nurses do.
CONCEPT IMPORTANCE OF NURSING THEORY
Building blocks of theory ❑ CLINICAL PRACTICE
Describes objects, properties, or events, and ❑ EDUCATION
basic components of theory. ❑ RESEARCH
Idea, thought or notion conceived in mind
Enhances once capacity to understand
phenomena as it helps define the meaning
CLINICAL PRACTICE
❑ The primary contribution of nursing theory when
employed in clinical setting is the facilitation of
reflection, questioning, and thinking about what
CATEGORIZATION OF CONCEPTS nurses do.
EMPIRICAL/ CONCRETE - Nursing theory is useful tool for reasoning,
They can be observe or experience through the critical thinking, and decision making in nursing
senses. practice.
e.g. stethoscope (can be seen or touch)
ABSTRACT CLINICAL PRACTICE
Caring, hope, infinity (concept become abstract Assist nurse to describe, explain, and predict
in the absence of object) everyday experience
e.g. nurse competency Serves to guide assessment, intervention, and
THEORETICAL/ CONCEPTUAL evaluation of nursing care.
Meaning of the word based on a certain theory
or relevant literature perceives it to be.
Provides a rationale for collecting reliable data Nursing at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London
about the health status of a client’s essential for marked the birth of modern nursing. o
decision making and implementation. Nightingale’s pioneering activities in nursing
Helps establish criteria to measure the quality of practice and subsequent writings describing
nursing care. nursing education became a guide for
Helps build a common nursing terminology to establishing nursing schools in the United States
use in communicating with other HCPs. at the beginning of the twentieth century
Enhances autonomy of nursing through defining (Kalisch & Kalisch, 2003; Nightingale,
its own independent functions. 1859/1969).
Theory assists the practicing nurse to: DEVELOPMENT
Organize patient data In the early part of nursing’s history,
Understand patient data knowledge was extremely limited and almost
Analyze patient data entirely task oriented.
Make decisions about nursing interventions Role of nurses where questioned; what they
Plan patient care do, for whom where and when were
Evaluate patient outcomes determined.
The professionalization of nursing has been
EDUCATION and is being brought about through the
❑ Provides general focus for curriculum. (design set of development and use of nursing theory.
courses that constitute an area of specialization)
❑ Guides curricular decision making HISTORY OF NURSING
❑ With this models, they were able to come up with The word nurse is derived from the
unique terms such as programs, objectives, course AngloFrench nurice and the Latin word nutrica,
objectives, course description and clinical performance both of which mean NOURISH.
criteria. » Florence Nightingale pioneer activities in
nursing practice & her subsequent writings
RESEARCH about nursing served as a guide for
❑ New theoretical perspective provide an essential establishing nursing schools in the US at the
service by identifying gaps in the way we approach beginning of 20th century.
specific fields of study such as symptom management » In the last century, nursing began with a
or quality of life. strong emphasis on practice.
» Throughout that century, nurses work toward
Offers a framework for generating knowledge the development of the profession in what has
and new ideas. been viewed as successive HISTORICAL
Assists in discovering knowledge gaps in the ERAS.
specific field of study.
Offers systematic approach to identify NURSING
questions for study, selective variables, Nightingale’s vision of nursing has been
interpret findings and validate nursing practiced for more than a century, and theory
interventions (actions of nurses) development in nursing has evolved rapidly over the
identifies the philosophical assumptions or past 5 decades, leading to the recognition of nursing as
theoretical frameworks from which it proceeds an academic discipline with a substantive body of
(nursing discipline) knowledge
HISTORY OF NURSING THEORY CHAPTER III: FOUR WAYS OF KNOWING
The history of professional nursing began with Ethics: The Moral Compitent
1.Florence Nightingale. She envisioned nurses Esthetics: The Art of Nursing
as a body of educated women at a time when Empirics: The Science in Nursing
women were neither 2. educated nor Personal Knowledge
3.employed in public service. Following her
service of organizing and caring for the NURSING EPISTEMOLOGY
wounded in Scutari, during the 4. Crimean War, ❑ Study of knowledge in the field of nursinghow
her vision and establishment of a 5. School of knowledge acquired, validated, and applied with in the
discipline.
❑ Origins of your knowledge, structure, patterns, their decision-making when dealing with
methods, patterns of knowing end-of-life care, informed consent, and
confidentiality. The nurse must consider the
Nursing depends on the scientific knowledge of patient’s autonomy, dignity, and the
human behavior in health and in illness, the perception principles of beneficence, justice, and non-
of the significant human experiences, a personal, a maleficence when making ethical decisions
personal understanding of the unique individuality of the in the practice.
self, and the capacity to make choices within concrete APPLICATION:
situations involving particular moral judgments. Apply when making decisions that involve patient
rights, advocating for patients, and navigating
a. Empirical Knowing (The Science of Nursing ethical dilemmas in clinical practice.
based on facts
gained information is denotes by means of Ethical Principle for Nurses
observation, experience, or experiment Principle of Autonomy freedom to make choices
verified through testing overtime, about issues that affect one’s life
formulated into scientific generalizations, Beneficence- act in a way that the patient can
laws, theories, and principles that explain benefit
and predicts Non Maleficence- causing no harm o Veracity-
factual, objective and evidence-based practice of telling the truth.
knowledge that is grounded in research Confidentiality safeguarding or protect information
and scientific inquiry (privacy)
based on the scientific method and Justice or Equality- no favoritism
empirical evidence. It involves collecting Fidelity- being faithful to your words
data through observation, experimentation,
and measurement to test hypotheses and
develop theories (Carper, 1978). In nursing, c. Aesthetics/Esthetics (The Art of Nursing)
empirics is used to develop evidence- deals with nature of beauty, art, taste and
based practices that are supported by within the creation and appreciation of
research. For example, the effectiveness of beauty
hand hygiene in preventing the spread of relies on intuition or perception
infections is an empirical finding in nursing. it is expressive, subjective, unique and
APPLICATION: experimental. (the nurse is try to put herself
Used when nurses assess patient conditions, in situation of the client so that she can
implement interventions based on best practices, understand the client’s feeling.-emphatic.
and evaluate outcomes using measurable data. You feel sorry-sympathy)
sensing the meaning of moment.
b. Ethics (Moral Knowledge of Nursing) it is evident through actions, attitudes and
in accordance with accepted principles of interactions of the nurse in response to
right and wrong that govern the conduct of another. Usually expressed in language.
a profession understanding and interpreting the patient
moral code of nursing and is based on experience. It encompasses the art of
obligation to service and respect to human nursing, includes intuition, empathy and
life creative application of knowledge
ethical knowledge occurs as moral Esthetics refers to a mode of knowledge
dilemmas arise in a situations of that centers on emotional responses to and
uncertainty and when consequences are sensory analysis of things of aesthetic
difficult to predicts. value. Esthetics in nursing refers to the
evaluation of what is good, valuable, and practice of making a patient’s physical
desirable as goals, motives or character surroundings pleasant and helpful to
Ethics is the way of knowing that is based recovery. The healing process and the
on moral principles and values. In nursing, patient’s entire experience can be
ethics involves considering the moral facilitated, for instance, by introducing
implications of decisions and actions aspects such as nature, color, and music
related to patient care. For example, a into the design of the patient’s room.
nurse may use ethical principles to guide APPLICATION:
Connect with patients on a personal level,
providing care that is compassionate and tailored
to the individuals needs and preferences.
d. Personal (The Self in Nursing)
knowledge of the self, individual’s, private
or owned
experiences, knowing, encountering and
actualizing the self within the practice
personal maturity and freedom are
components of personal knowledge
express in personality
self awareness and interpersonal
relationship that nurses develop with their
patients, kit involves the nurse’s own
understanding of their own beliefs, values,
and experiences and how these influence
their practice.
Personal knowledge is the way of knowing
that is based on an individual’s personal
experiences, values, and beliefs. In
nursing, personal knowledge is an
important component of holistic care and
includes an understanding of the patient’s
cultural background, values, and beliefs.
For example, a nurse may use their
personal knowledge of a patient’s cultural
customs to provide care that is sensitive to
their beliefs and values.
APPLICATION:
Important in building trust and rapport with
patients, recognizing the human aspects of
nursing and fostering therapeutic relationships.
