Strategies & Quality Practice
A theory has been defined as statements or set of analytical principles that are designed to structure people’s understanding, observation, and explanation of the reality in the world (Nilsen, 2020). In most cases, theories apply some relationships between multiple variables and some specific predictions. A successful theory provides a clear explanation of how and why some relationships can lead to specific events. Theories can be described based on the abstraction continuum.
Nursing profession is transforming in the modern society. Strong leadership is important in attaining the anticipated transformative changes in the health care system. Nurses have various professional roles in the clinical setting. The professional roles of nurses are centered in ensuring provision of safe and quality care that meet the health needs of individual patients. Nursing theories are based on the four nursing metaparadigm concepts (Nilsen, 2020). Florence Nightingale introduced a number of nursing theories that have provided the basis for development of other theoretical frameworks; thus, helping in improving quality of patient care. Quality is an important consideration in the provision of holistic care that meet the needs of the individual clients. Florence Nightingale is considered as the “mother of nursing” due to her remarkable contributions to the profession of nursing (Nilsen, 2020).
Various strategies have been proposed for ensuring that professional nurses can effectively use their work environment to advocate for the integration of nursing theory as one an important framework for quality practice (Mitchell, 2013). First, developing a vision and mission statement is important in ensuring successful implementation of nursing theories for attaining quality practice. Nurses can set a vision and mission statement related to the implementation of various theoretical concepts. Implementation science is important in developing vision and mission statement in the adoption of various nursing theories into clinical practice. Implementation science allows nurses to address challenges associated with the integration of research to attain more evidence-based practice (EBP) in the health care system (Mitchell, 2013). The vision and mission statement for implementing various nursing theories are based on the scope of each theory or model.
Second, nurses can undertake a benchmark to determine the efficacy of some nursing theories in improving quality practice. Through implementation science, nurses may conduct various benchmarks to assess how the nursing theories can be implemented into the nursing practice to improve quality of care. Nursing theories are important for implementation since they guide in the clinical practice towards providing quality, safe, holistic, and patient-centered (Nilsen, 2020). Through benchmarks, professional nurses can develop practice guidelines. Nursing theories are also significant in developing standard of practice.
Determining the viability of as specific nursing theory is another strategy in the implementation of various nursing theories as frameworks for improving quality practice in the profession of nursing (Nilsen, 2020). The viability of various concepts, variables, or constructs of specific nursing theories should be assessed before implementing these theoretical frameworks in nursing practice.
References
Mitchell, G. (2013). Selecting the best theory to implement planned change. Nursing Management, 20(1).
Nilsen, P. (2020). Making sense of implementation theories, models, and frameworks. In Implementation Science 3.0 (pp. 53-79). Springer, Cham. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-03874-8_3
REPLY 2
What strategies might a professional nurse use in his/her work environment to advocate for implementing nursing theory as a framework for quality practice?
Nursing is an important profession in the healthcare sector. The success of the healthcare sector in delivering quality and patient-centered healthcare services relies on nurses’ proficiency and prowess. One of the fundamental building blocks of the nursing profession is nursing theories. Nurses’ effectiveness in their work depends on how effective they use their working environment to advocate for the implementation of nursing theory as a framework aimed at attaining quality nursing and healthcare practice. Several strategies can be used by nurses to enhance such a process.
It is important to note that there are different types of nurses. As an ICU nurse, being in an ICU, most of the time, has shown me the need to show a high level of professionalism by using such an environment to practically implement nursing theories. Implementing such theories in an ICU unit is the best since it proves that you can do so even in other nursing departmental units as a nurse.
The strategies for implementing nursing theories are just drawn from the nursing theories’ requirements. One of the strategies is providing and working hard to create a good environment for patients. For instance, the ICU is one of the critical units of the healthcare facility. Patients in such units are usually in critical condition, and taking care of them requires a high level of professionalism. Hence, a strategy of implementing nursing theory implies that as a Nurse in ICU, you need to create a good working environment according to the Florence Nightingale environmental theory (Lawrence, 2011). A good working environment should consist of good and proper ventilation, light, warmth, and coolness. As a nurse in ICU, you need to ensure that patients are free from external disturbances (Lawrence, 2011).
The second strategy through which nurses can use to implement nursing theories in their working environment is by applying human relations principles. ICU patients face serious health challenges. As a nurse in such a unit, it is important to understand your behaviors and help other people identify their health challenges. This is because patients in ICU face serious health conditions that require assistance in every moment. According to the Hildegard Peplau nursing theory, as a nurse, you need to be always sharp at identifying patients felt a need and want (McAndrew, Schiffman, & Leske, 2020). In such a case, nurses in ICU are good examples of healthcare professionals who need high problem-solving skills through incorporating human relations principles (McAndrew, Schiffman & Leske, 2020).
Another strategy that nurses can use within their working environment is establishing a good and close relationship with their patients. The latter statements are broad statement which describes several activities a nurse should always do. First of all, it implies that as a nurse, you should always have the desire and motive to assist patients in critical conditions and play a significant contribution towards their recovery process (Lawrence, 2011). Besides, nurses can use their working environment resources to help patients gain their independence as quickly as possible. In other words, nurses can establish a deep and strong connection with patients in critical conditions by getting inside their patient’s skin to know their needs.
Moreover, nurses need to ensure that they understand the behaviors of their patients. Patients in ICU display behaviors that represent the call for help and assistant. Many patients’ behaviors in the ICU environment are nonverbal and usually signal the nurses that they need assistance. As a nurse in such an environment, your actions should be deliberate and not automatic (Aliakbari et al. 2015). Similarly, nurses can also participate in policy changes meant to enhance the ICU nursing working environment for the patient’s benefit.
In conclusion, nursing is not a simple profession as it may be thought to be. Such a professional’s success, especially for healthcare professionals in critical units such as the ICU, requires a high level of professionalism being displayed. Hence, it implies that nurses need to ensure that as they work, there are implementing nursing theories guide in their working environment for the benefit of patients in critical condition and urgently seeking recovery.
References
Aliakbari, F., Parvin, N., Heidari, M., & Haghani, F. (2015). Learning theories application in nursing education. Journal of education and health promotion, 4. https://dx.doi.org/10.4103%2F2277-9531.151867 (Links to an external site.)
Lawrence, L. A. (2011, October). Work engagement, moral distress, education level, and critical reflective practice in intensive care nurses. In Nursing forum (Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 256-268). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6198.2011.00237.x (Links to an external site.)
McAndrew, N. S., Schiffman, R., & Leske, J. (2020). A theoretical lens to view the facilitators and disruptors of nurse-promoted engagement with families in the ICU. Journal of Family Nursing, 1074840720936736. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1074840720936736 (Links to an external site.)
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