Introduction
A conceptual framework is a set of broad, abstract concepts that explain basic phenomena. They include the assumptions required to describe concepts and their aspects, making it easier to connect concepts that are rather generic and abstract (Nikfarid et al., 2018). Each nursing conceptual framework not only paves the way for distinct specialized theories but also provides a distinct perspective on the concept of metaparadigm. This investigation will concentrate on Dorothea Orem’s nursing conceptual framework, Theory of Self-Care, to clarify the metaparadigm paradigm and build on its four guiding principles.
Nursing Metaparadigm
Person, environment, health, and nursing are the four metaparadigms of the nursing profession. The person metaparadigm considers the patient the primary analytical unit in medical practice (Nikfarid et al., 2018). It includes a person’s religious beliefs, culture, family, friends, and social standing. The metaparadigm environment incorporates the patient’s internal and external characteristics and patient-related characteristics. Individuals and the environment constantly exchange information (Nikfarid et al., 2018). The patient’s metaparadigm of health refers to the patient’s overall health and quality of life (Nikfarid et al., 2018).
Health is a state of mind, body, and spirit unity and harmony (Moore et al., 2021). The meta paradigm’s final component is nursing. It refers to how nurses apply the knowledge and skills they learned during their education (Nikfarid et al., 2018). It also refers to the nurse who provides patient care characteristics. When applied to the nursing process to address patient care, these four meta paradigms are critical for nurses to remember when providing care to patients.
Conceptual Framework
Dorothea Orem’s Self Care Deficit, often known as the “Theory of Self Care,” inspired the Nursing Conceptual Model of interest. It is most commonly applied in rehabilitation settings, as patients are transitioning from being cared for by healthcare to being cared for exclusively by themselves at home following therapy. According to Orem, some situations in which patients are encouraged to be more self-sufficient than they were previously (Awaliyah et al., 2018). In this nursing conceptual paradigm, the individual’s practice of acts performed on their behalf is frequently the primary focus of attention (Tanaka, 2022). The patient’s autonomous activities can result in the patient’s life and functioning being sustained, as well as the patient’s growth or the repair of a health deviation or condition.
Metaparadigm
Dorothea Orem made the nursing conceptual framework. Self-care theory emphasizes the performance of acts by the individual. Orem acknowledges that although nurses care for a wide variety of patients, the care they provide for each type of patient is distinct. She acknowledges that each patient has unique needs and emphasizes that patients must provide their support to receive the best care. Orem argues that because every patient is unique, he or she should be treated as an individual in the medical setting (Tanaka, 2022).
The need to respect a patient’s decisions stems from the fact that their actions result in preserving life and function, personal development, or correcting a health deviation or condition. Dorothea Orem made the nursing conceptual framework. Self-care theory emphasizes the performance of acts by the individual. Orem acknowledges that although nurses care for a wide variety of patients, the care they provide for each type of patient is distinct. She acknowledges that each patient has unique needs and emphasizes that patients must provide their support to receive the best care. Orem argues that because every patient is unique, he or she should be treated as an individual in the medical setting (Tanaka, 2022). The need to respect a patient’s decisions stems from the fact that their actions result in preserving life and function, personal development, or correcting a health deviation or condition.
Orem emphasized the significance of patients’ environment to their health and capacity to care for themselves. According to Orem, the essential thing people can do for their health is exercise self-care (Tanaka, 2022). She believes an essential method for a patient to avoid future health issues is to practice self-care and live a healthy lifestyle. She is a great believer in the need for patients to take care of themselves and maintain their dignity. It is the responsibility of nurses to provide the necessary care to their patients to make them able to care for themselves. Orem is confident that, while physicians provided instructions, nurses had the most direct contact with patients, and their obligation was to encourage and teach them to practice self-care.
Application to APN Role
The application of multiple theoretical frameworks and conceptual models is essential to the field of advanced practice nursing. Critical thinking and comprehending the environment in which nursing phenomena occur are fundamental to advanced nursing practice, which heavily emphasizes these two abilities. The practice of advanced nursing requires the application of nursing theories in a particular type of community. It is theoretical knowledge about the nursing profession that comes from various sources within and outside nursing practice. There has been a substantial flood of knowledge and philosophical refinements from various fields, including epistemology.
The self-care deficit nursing theory proposed by Dorothy Orem is an example of a prominent theory that has found application in clinical practice. Research on the idea has demonstrated that it significantly enhances the outcomes for patients with various diseases, resulting in nursing contributions (Martinez et al., 2019). It has been advantageous for nurses to have access to a wide variety of grand theories in nursing practice, as this has allowed them to fully comprehend the expansive nature of the area and profession and analyze the numerous ways nursing practice could be done. The key factor contributing to the present popularity of midrange theories in contemporary nursing practice is nurses’ capacity to experimentally and effectively assess the value of midrange theories.
Conclusion
The nursing metaparadigm includes four fundamental ideas that are the basis for nursing theories embedded in the nursing process and crucial to providing quality patient care. There has been a long tradition of nursing theorists such as Dorothea Orem providing their unique takes on these ideas, each of which has significantly impacted how nurses think about and treat their patients. These models have been beneficial to Advanced practice nurses and their profession. The advanced nurse practitioner should understand and be able to apply the four nursing meta-paradigms as they pertain to patient care. The nurse will be able to give superior care by integrating these conceptual frameworks with established nursing theories.
References
Awaliyah, S. N., Setyowati, S., & Budiati, T. (2018). The application of nursing theory “Self-care Orem” in nursing care of multiparous pregnancy with anaemia: A case report. Journal of Maternity Care and Reproductive Health, 1(2). Web.
Martinez, R. C., Mansaguiton, L. P., Mercado, M. A., & Panes, I. I. (2019). Philosophies of the mind and body: Descartes, ricouer and the metaparadigm of nursing. 31–37. Web.
Moore, A. K., Avino, K., & McElligott, D. (2021). Analysis of the theory of integrative nurse coaching. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 40(2), 169–180. Web.
Nikfarid, L., Hekmat, N., Vedad, A., & Rajabi, A. (2018). The main nursing metaparadigm concepts in human caring theory and Persian mysticism: A comparative study. Journal of medical ethics and history of medicine. Web.
Tanaka, M. (2022). Orem’s nursing self‐care deficit theory: A theoretical analysis focusing on its philosophical and Sociological Foundation. Nursing Forum, 57(3), 480–485. Web.