Application of Nursing Theory to Practice (2)

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A nursing theory can be defined as “an organized framework of concepts and purposes designed to guide the practice of nursing” (Petiprin, 2016). After reading thru a few different nursing theories, I have taken a liking to the systems theory which addresses elements and interactions among all the factors in a situation (Hood, 2018). I like this theory because it allows the nurse to be able to understand all of the influences on the patient as a whole and then determine what changes need to be made and how those changes will impact that patient. In the specific situation with Mr. R, I would use the systems theory to understand, predict and control the possible effects of the recent surgery that resulted in a temporary colostomy (Hood, 2018). I would first start by looking further into the patient’s history to gather information on when the cancer was first found, what stage it was in, if it spread to any other organs etc. I would also look into the patients’ personal and medical history to determine if they have had any other health issues in the past or if they had undergone any other previous surgeries. By fully understanding the patients’ past, this would help me to predict the outcome and control the possible side effects. From my past experiences, I would predict that patients’ who have just gotten a colostomy will have a hard time understanding exactly how they should care for it, what foods to eat and if family and friends may change the way they view that person now that they have a colostomy bag. In order to avoid the patient from feeling nervous or anxious, I would immediately start the teaching on how to properly care for the colostomy, the proper foods that they should be eating and which foods to avoid and I would also determine whether or not this person may need a few therapy sessions in order to figure out the best way to communicate this temporary challenge to family and friends. I believe that by using this theory, it enables the nurse to get a good background on the patient which in turn will help the nurse plan the proper patient-centered and culturally accurate care.

References:

Hood, L. J. (2018). Leddy & Pepper’s professional nursing (9th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Petiprin, A. (2016). Nursing Theory. Retrieved from: http://nursing-theory.org/articles/nursing-theory-…

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