The self-care deficit theory, developed by Dorothea Orem, suggests that patients recover faster when they are allowed to meet their basic needs. There are three types of self-care deficits: developmental, health deviation, and universal. Each patient is an individual with unique needs.
A self-care deficit is a nursing theory that revolves around the central idea that all patients want to take care of themselves. Originally developed by Dorothea Orem over a nearly 50-year career as a nursing theorist, the self-care deficit theory suggests that patients recover more quickly and effectively when they are allowed to meet their basic needs, such as eating , cleaning themselves , and using the bathroom. The Orem model recognizes three key areas of self-care deficit: developmental, health deviation, and universal.
Orem first identified the basis of what would become the self-care deficit theory in the 1950s. He noticed that patients under his care were recovering faster with fewer relapses when they could take care of themselves. The subsequent decades of his career were devoted to the study and further development of this model, which has become widely accepted as a viable nursing theory and practical method by which to help patients.
The basis of the self-care deficit is the notion that each patient is an individual. As such, each individual has unique needs and unique ways to satisfy them. The only way, therefore, to meet those needs is to let the patient fulfill them on their own, which allows for a greater degree of autonomy while a patient is under medical care.
There are three main types of self-care deficits. Developmental self-care deficits occur as a result of aging or a particular situation. These cases inhibit an individual from taking care of himself in the same way he once did. An example of a situational self-care deficit might be a new job, where an individual is so overworked that the body undergoes tremendous changes and depletion, causing it to abandon normal ways of self-care.
A health deviation self-care deficit is a condition in which an individual is so affected by their condition that the prospect of getting their needs met is a challenge. This theory involves helping the patient move to a place of self-care. From there, the person can gradually work to meet her basic needs once again.
Universal self-care deficits are those deficits that are generally experienced by all individuals. These are directly related to those processes that many consider second nature: breathing, drinking water and going to the bathroom, to name a few. When one of these processes is impaired, a self-care deficit treatment plan may be needed.
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