Examples of Grand Nursing Theories Research Assignment (Essay Sample)

Grand Nursing Theory
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Introduction
Grand nursing theories comprise of global concepts that tend to explain the wide areas of a certain discipline as developed through insightful and thoughtful appraisal of ideas that already exist. These theories are highly sophisticated and wide in terms of their scope, with some incorporating pother theories. The theories provide different perspectives that allow for development of an understanding of the nursing phenomena in diverse ways. This paper reviews the various benefits of grand theory with a reference to Imogene King’s Goal Attainment Theory and Ida Jean Orlando’s Nursing Process Theory, and provides recommendations on the various changes that can be made in the studying of grand nursing theories to make them more interesting and impactful.
Examples of Grand Nursing Theories
Imogene King’s Goal Attainment Theory
King’s theory focuses on the interaction between the nurses and the patient and the relationship established between the two CITATION Mar14 \l 1033 (Alligood, 2014). This theory suggest that transactions occur between nurses and their patients during their interactions, and that such transactions create a framework from which goal setting proceeds. The major concepts brought forth by this theory include perception, interaction, communication, stress, role, transaction, and growth and development. As such, the independent judgements, actions, and perceptions of the nurse and the patient lead to interaction, reaction, and transaction CITATION Mar14 \l 1033 (Alligood, 2014). In this sense, the nurse and the patient seek a center point in which they meet in terms of their pre-held believes, experiences, and assumptions and collaborate towards setting goals towards which they work to achieve throughout the care process.
Ida Jean Orlando’s Nursing Process Theory
Orlando used her research to develop the theory of Nursing Process, which suggests that the main role of the nurse is to identify and meet the immediate need of the patient for help CITATION Mar14 \l 1033 (Alligood, 2014). This process of looking out for the need of the patient and meeting it effectively is what is referred to as the ‘nursing process’. Orlando thus established that there is need for nurses to maintain a connection with their patients make sure that whatever the patients need is availed to them. Both the non-verbal and verbal cues of the patient should be given much attention with the nurse expected to appropriately react to the behavior of the patient in order to alleviate distress CITATION Mar14 \l 1033 (Alligood, 2014). In this case, the patient, the nursing reactions, and the nursing actions are considered to be the elements of a nursing situation.
Positive and negative aspects of studying grand theories
The studying of grand nursing theories provides various advantages both to the individual, the academic environment, and the profession. These theories are developed as a result of the commitment of scholars and their deliberate effort to study and reflect on various nursing contexts over time. As such, these theories offer practitioners a concrete academic foundation based on which approaches of patient care that have been tested and proven over time can be promoted CITATION Smi15 \l 1033 (Smith & Parker, 2015). These theories also provide practitioners with propositions and general concepts that pertain professional nursing. the autonomy of nurses is also promoted through these theories as they increase they are provided with a deeper understanding of their profession CITATION Smi15 \l 1033 (Smith & Parker, 2015). The major challenge of studying these theories involves the complex nature of the theories, that they may be misinterpreted and hence applied wrongly, an aspect that may negatively influence the outcomes of such application.
Making the process of studying grand theories more relevant to today’s practice
To make studying of grand nursing theories relevant to modern-day practice, it is important to adopt process models which are employed in the translation of research into practice CITATION Nil15 \l 1033 (Nilsen, 2015). Most of the challenges that are faced in the application of grand nursing theories in practice lie within the difficulties experienced in translating the complex theoretical aspects of such theories into practice. As such, the process models would be highly effective in interpreting the various theories and the underlying researchers and in translation of such theories and models into practice in different contexts CITATION Nil15 \l 1033 (Nilsen, 2015). This would allow health care providers to effectively un...