Theories give a methodical interpretation of the phenomenon in question. In a fast-changing healthcare system, the nursing practice needs a solid foundation to help deal with uncertainty among healthcare workers. Nursing theories create a foundation on which to base nursing practice. This is because theory facilitates reasoning, decision making and critical thinking which strengthens the nursing profession (Black, 2014). According to Masters (2015), theories can also be explanatory, descriptive, predictive regulatory in nature. As such, they help in making decisions about nursing interventions, planning patient care and predicting and evaluating patient outcomes. The theory-guided clinical practice also results in the easier organization, understanding,
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For instance, Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory, otherwise known as Orem’s Self-Care Model, explains the extent and methods by which nurses help patients achieve their self-care needs (Schub & Kornuskly, 2016). This theory would be suitable to address the issue of burnout among healthcare professionals. Orem’s Self-Care Theory is an integration of three complementary theories: The Self-Care theory, the Self-Care Deficit theory and the Nursing Systems theory. The self-care theory views self-care as a “human regulatory function” (Schub & Kornusky, 2016, p. 1). This theory focuses on individuals’ abilities to control their health by performing deliberate activities aimed at promoting personal health and …show more content…
Often, the emphasis lies on the effects of nursing care on patients without considering caregiving effects on nurses. Black (2014) acknowledges that it is easy for healthcare professionals to lose the balance between self-care and caring for others. Some of the self-care challenges that nurses can face include, “burnout, professional dynamics and personal responses to nursing” (Black, 2014, p. 334). Healthcare professionals may face work environment challenges such as time pressure, role conflict, and poor work relationships. These factors combined with the emotional intensity of patient care put professional nurses at an elevated risk of emotional exhaustion, a syndrome referred to as burnout (Lyndon, 2016). Burnout may also result from heavy workloads, inefficiency, and other complications characteristic of advanced clinical practice (Hylton, 2015). Some of the most common symptoms of burnout include stress, compassion fatigue, depersonalization, and physical or emotional exhaustion, among others (Raftery, 2015). Burnout also shows through hardened attitudes, fatigue, and depression, among other characteristics, which may interfere with the caring process (Black,
For instance, Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory, otherwise known as Orem’s Self-Care Model, explains the extent and methods by which nurses help patients achieve their self-care needs (Schub & Kornuskly, 2016). This theory would be suitable to address the issue of burnout among healthcare professionals. Orem’s Self-Care Theory is an integration of three complementary theories: The Self-Care theory, the Self-Care Deficit theory and the Nursing Systems theory. The self-care theory views self-care as a “human regulatory function” (Schub & Kornusky, 2016, p. 1). This theory focuses on individuals’ abilities to control their health by performing deliberate activities aimed at promoting personal health and …show more content…
Often, the emphasis lies on the effects of nursing care on patients without considering caregiving effects on nurses. Black (2014) acknowledges that it is easy for healthcare professionals to lose the balance between self-care and caring for others. Some of the self-care challenges that nurses can face include, “burnout, professional dynamics and personal responses to nursing” (Black, 2014, p. 334). Healthcare professionals may face work environment challenges such as time pressure, role conflict, and poor work relationships. These factors combined with the emotional intensity of patient care put professional nurses at an elevated risk of emotional exhaustion, a syndrome referred to as burnout (Lyndon, 2016). Burnout may also result from heavy workloads, inefficiency, and other complications characteristic of advanced clinical practice (Hylton, 2015). Some of the most common symptoms of burnout include stress, compassion fatigue, depersonalization, and physical or emotional exhaustion, among others (Raftery, 2015). Burnout also shows through hardened attitudes, fatigue, and depression, among other characteristics, which may interfere with the caring process (Black,