Nurses are guided by nursing theories that are recognized as organized and systematic claims concerning principal issues in the nursing profession. Nursing models aim at describing relationships between nursing problems, predicting impacts, and improving care. In other words, a theory can be viewed as a way in which reality in nursing is represented. A theory can also be applied to describe abstract issues such as health beliefs and bereavement. Elements of nursing are complex and can only be defined, described, and analyzed through different models that support education, practice, and research (Fawcett, 2017). The suggestion that nurses’ education, practice, and research should be guided by one nursing theory is narrow in scope.
It is critical to know that several models have been developed to offer conceptual frameworks in nursing, which are complex. In addition, each conceptual framework provides a distinct way of viewing nursing education, practice, and research, but they all champion improved care (Pourvakhshoori, Norouzi, Ahmadi, Hosseini, & Khankeh, 2017). It would be difficult to develop one model of nursing to capture, embody, and express all concerns and objectives in the profession. In fact, nursing professionals have striven to establish a body of knowledge that can support how training, practice, and research are accomplished. It is important to note that the process of developing various models is guided by conventional science (Fawcett, 2017; Pourvakhshoori et al., 2017). Therefore, training, practice, and scientific investigations in nursing should be guided by various conceptual frameworks since they offer broad scopes that can broaden the body of knowledge and improve care for patients in healthcare facilities both in the short and long run.
References
- Fawcett, J. (2017). Thoughts about nursing conceptual models and the “medical model”. Nursing Science Quarterly, 30(1), 77-80.
- Pourvakhshoori, N., Norouzi, K., Ahmadi, F., Hosseini, M., & Khankeh, H. (2017). Nursing in disasters: A review of existing models. International Emergency Nursing, 31(5), 58-63.