Introduction
Today, there are multiple ways to improve nursing practice and achieve the best outcomes for employees and patients with the help of innovation and shared knowledge. At the same time, it is always necessary to consider the basics and follow the standards of care. The main idea of advanced nursing practice (ANP) is to promote critical thinking and understanding of the theoretical background (Parker & Hill, 2017, as cited in Yip, 2021).
Many nursing theories were created decades ago, but they continue to influence the quality of care and define the main aspects of work. However, according to Younas and Quennell (2019), theoretical usefulness has been questioned recently due to the promotion of evidence-based or traditional practice. Thus, exploring the relationship between nursing theories and ANP and identifying the impacts and contributions is essential. In this paper, the definitions and examples of theories and practice will be given to demonstrate the reciprocity of theoretical and practical issues in nursing.
Definitions
The essence of a nursing theory can be better clarified not through the prism of its specific definitions but through the consequences it imposes on care providers. In nursing, a theory is a belief or procedure that helps participants evaluate their roles in different care settings (Younas & Quennell, 2019). Such nursing theories aim to inform nursing care, promote autonomy, coherence, and communication, and stabilize the relationships between employees and patients (Mudd et al., 2020). People address theories to learn how to organize their practice and choose the tasks they have to perform.
Care, in its turn, is a universal and broader concept. It defines the nurse’s actions focused on the patient’s needs and ensuring mental and physical well-being (Mudd et al., 2020). Younas and Quennell (2019) explain nursing as “a theory- and practice-based profession” (p. 1). ANP expands nursing from different perspectives because nurses need specific education and degrees to take the required positions and complete their responsibilities. Considering such definitions, some individuals question the worth of theories in advanced practice when it is necessary to address the current environments and particular skills.
Examples
Advanced nursing practice includes the work of nurses with different degrees. Nursing practitioners, clinical nurses, midwives, and anesthetists are crucial in promoting nursing care in settings. They usually assess patients, develop nursing diagnoses, provide referrals, and prescribe medications. This practice contributes to nursing knowledge and endorses professional advancement (Yip, 2021). Thus, nursing theories are expected to be applied to ensure that all standards of care are appropriately recognized.
Younas and Quennell (2019) explain that some theories remain abstract and complex to follow because of a lack of testable results. However, in most cases, the ideas promoted by Nightingale (not harm) in 1893, Orem (self-care) in 1959, or Henderson (recovery promotion) in 2004 are critical for supporting ANP (Mudd et al., 2020; Yip, 2021). All these examples and practical assumptions seem convertible because one cannot exist without the other.
Theoretical and Practical Reciprocity
Nursing experts develop theories mainly to advance the already offered strategies, improve patient outcomes, and stabilize nursing practice. Applying some theoretical ideas to practice is not enough to ensure that assessment, diagnosis, planning, and treatment are well organized. It is more important to understand all standards of care and convert them from definite theoretical aspects into flexible practical steps.
The effectiveness of nursing care will be improved when a practitioner identifies theoretical expectations and regulations. The integration of care is commonly discussed across different nursing theories, and each theory introduces a new extent of nurse-patient cooperation (Mudd et al., 2020). Instead of promoting care for patients as several discrete tasks, theories allow nurses to conceptualize fundamental care and enhance its relevance (Mudd et al., 2020). Any nurse involved in ANP has to apply knowledge that is determined by a theory.
For example, Orem’s theory shows how nurses should encourage patients to undertake self-care, understand their level of responsibility, and promote well-being and health. ANP is based on this knowledge; students learn self-care basics through this theory to help people with self-care. This relationship between theory and practice is strong because nurses are reminded of what to do, behave, and expect.
Conclusion
Nursing theories guide advanced practice in many different ways. Compared to traditional or evidence-based practice, where little attention is paid to theoretical backgrounds, ANP promotes skills and knowledge based on theories. The ideas of Nightingale and Orem might have nothing in common from the point of view of nursing practice. Still, together, they reveal a way for practitioners to increase positive patient outcomes.
Modern research projects need theoretical frameworks to demonstrate the worth and effectiveness of the chosen idea and methods. Advanced practice shows how crucial developments might improve care quality in real settings. Thus, theory and practice go hand in hand today, and instead of trying to reveal the challenges of this connection, the recognition of new strategies is required.
References
Mudd, A., Feo, R., Conroy, T., & Kitson, A. (2020). Where and how does fundamental care fit within seminal nursing theories: A narrative review and synthesis of key nursing concepts. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 29(19-20), 3652-3666. Web.
Yip, J. Y. C. (2021). Theory-based advanced nursing practice: A practice update on the application of Orem’s self-care deficit nursing theory. SAGE Open Nursing, 7. Web.
Younas, A., & Quennell, S. (2019). Usefulness of nursing theory-guided practice: an integrative review. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 33(3), 540-555. Web.