Nursing practice is supported by a body of knowledge known as the Nursing Theory. The educational vocation of nurses consists of studying a wide scope of interconnected subject matters that will be applied in the practice setting. Most of this knowledge is based on their learning through experiences, from nursing research, which is considered as a formal source or from any other non-nursing source. The application of a nursing theory varies from one individual to another. Nursing is generally agreed upon as a science that deals with people, the environment and processes powered by an outlook of a state of wholeness in relation to health care. Nurses are encouraged to utilize these theories as they test their beginning and advanced skills in their practice.
Instructions
Instructions
1. Review the patient's chart and note his biographical information such as name, age, gender, address, occupation and level of education, and marital status; chief complaints and laboratory results (if available); medications prescribed and their purpose; what is the physician's impression or primary diagnosis. Jot this down with pen and paper.
2. Interview the patient or client to collect further information regarding current health status such as subjective verbalization regarding signs and symptoms that influenced decision to seek medical help, when the problem started and for how long, was there a past incidence of the same occurrence (past health history), the family health history and a brief review of major organ systems for symptom analysis. What the patient's major concern at the moment such as: is the pain unbearable? Allow the patient to rate the pain using the pain-rating scale.
3. Ask permission from the patient or client if you can use a tape recorder during the interview to note concerns.
4. Perform a partial or complete physical examination using the assessment techniques of inspection (wear clean gloves), auscultation with the use of a stethoscope, palpation and percussion while maintaining privacy. Also note the patient's general appearance (nutritional status, mental alertness: alertness and responsiveness, speech; evidence of pain; body position.
5. Take the patient's vital signs: Temperature using a thermometer, blood pressure (BP Apparatus), and height and weight measurements (tape measure and weighing scale).
6. Go over the data gathered and recognize the patient's immediate and major concerns.
7. Assign a nursing theory to the health concern by reviewing the nursing theories found on a reliable nursing theory book. For example: Data: Patient complained of pain on the left lower quadrant of the abdomen. Guarding of the abdomen noted. Facial grimacing noted. Rated pain 8, in the scale of 1 to 10, 10 as the most painful.
Nursing Theory: According to Martha E. Roger's theory, man is a "unitary human being that is an irreducible, indivisible, pan dimensional energy field identified by pattern and manifesting characteristics that are specific to the whole and which cannot be predicted from knowledge of the parts." The theory also states that health and illness are parts of a continuum. In order to achieve optimum level of functioning, the life processes should be compatible with each other.
With the data above, the patient will not be able to functional optimally unless the health concern is addressed and remedied by intervention.
8. Let the selected theory guide you through the planning and implementation of the nursing care by setting achievable goals based on the priority health concern. Enumerate the appropriate interventions chronologically.
Tags: health concern, health history, Nursing Theory, nursing theory, patient client