Nursing theories vary in frameworks and goals. Hildegard Peplau’s Interpersonal Theory emphasizes communication and interaction between patients and nurses. Faye Abdellah’s 21 Nursing Problems model guides nurses to meet patient needs. Betty Neuman’s Systems Theory focuses on stress reduction, and Jean Watson’s Theory of Care emphasizes healthy lifestyles and preventing future illnesses. All theories prioritize patient care.
Nursing theories differ according to who is the proponent. They also vary in the use of different theoretical frameworks and the application of different goals and objectives. Some theories come in the form of nursing models, which are used by nurses to carry out their own care by assuming responsibilities and tasks.
One of the very first nursing theories was the Interpersonal Theory in 1952. Developed by the “mother of psychiatric nursing”, Hildegard Peplau, the goal of the theory is to build constant communication and interaction between the patient and the nurse. A patient is defined as an individual who attempts to reduce her anxieties. Nurses who develop a relationship with their patients can help ease their anxieties by providing for their needs and offering them companionship. The interaction can also make it easier for the nurse to understand how to help the patient effectively.
In 1960, Faye Abdellah proposed a model called 21 Nursing Problems. One of the nursing theories that modeled it, 21 Nursing Problems, is used as a guide for nurses to learn how to provide the best nutrition and treatment to a patient. By identifying which of the 21 problems specifically describes the patient, the nurse becomes a problem solver whose goal is to meet the patient’s needs. Nurses not only try to cure the disease but also take care of the patient as a whole. A patient, therefore, becomes “healthy” when all of his or her needs are met and there is no sign of any disease present or developing.
One of the nursing theories that discussed the concept of “total well-being” was systems theory. Betty Neuman was the proponent of this theory in 1972. The theory states that a human being is a functioning system as a whole and all its “parts” are interconnected; one hits the other. To achieve balance and well-being, the main focus of the theory is stress reduction. Through timely interventions, a nurse can help a patient learn to resist, adapt, and defend against any stressors.
One of the primary responsibilities of a nurse is that of “care”, around which Jean Watson built her theory, the “Theory of Care” in 1979. Instead of emotion-driven action, “care” was studied as both a philosophy and a science, with Watson combining elements of Western and Eastern medicine and practices. Watson saw “cure” as an action that can be specifically defined, which resulted in his “10 karat factors. Overall, it is the nurse’s job to encourage patients to have a healthy lifestyle, help them restore their health, and prevent the recurrence of future illnesses. Most, if not all, theories of nursing focus primarily on the patient and how nurses, through different methods, can help them.
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