Nursing Theory

Identify one specific nursing theory that relates to your area of practice. 

The nursing theorists that I chose to write about is Katharine Kolcaba Comfort theory. Her theory of comfort can be used in almost any area of nursing, and definitely those that provides patient care. As emergency room nurse, we see patients in an acute state of discomfort. It becomes our job to see that patients comfort needs are met, as well as the family members. “Comfort theory is an immediate desirable outcome of nursing care, according to the Comfort Theory“ (Comfort Theory by Katharine Kolcaba, n.d.).   

Discuss the type of the selected nursing theory according to scope (meta-theory, grand, middle-range, or practice theory) and purpose (descriptive, explanatory, predictive, or prescriptive).

Katharine Kolcaba comfort theory of nursing, was developed in the 1990s (Comfort Theory by Katharine Kolcaba, n.d.). Though her theory is considered a middle-middle range theory, her theory’s has been cited in a considerable number of nursing studies(McEwen & Wills, n.d.). The major focus on her theory included: comfort, comfort care, comfort measures, comfort needs, health-seeking behaviors, institutional integrity, and intervening variables (McEwen & Wills, n.d.). “Understanding of comfort can promote nursing care that is holistic and inclusive of physical, psychospiritual, social, and environmental interventions” (McEwen & Wills, n.d.). 

Provide an example of how the selected nursing theory can be applied to your area of practice. The example should include core concepts of the theory and demonstrate its practical application. ​​​​​​​

“Kolcaba described comfort as existing in 3 forms: relief, ease, and transcendence” (Comfort Theory by Katharine Kolcaba, n.d.). Nursing can be described as the process of assessing the patients comfort needs, developing and implementing suitable nursing interventions, and evaluating the patients comfort level after receiving nursing intervention (Comfort Theory by Katharine Kolcaba, n.d.). For example, a patient is seen in the emergency room for foot pain. From the moment they are placed in a room, they are assessed by the doctor and the nurse. The assessment for pain can be objective or subjective. Some of those needs are identified by the nurse, who then implements interventions to meet the needs of the patient (McEwen & Wills, n.d.). Intervention can be as simple as a bag of ICE or foot placement. If pain medication is prescribed, a pain scale is then used to assess level of paint. A pain scale will continue to be used until a level of comfort is achieved by the patient.   

Definition of Personal Knowing and how it affects Personal Development

 By definition personal knowing is the basis for self-expression of a person’s genuine self (Chinn & Kramer, 2018). It also promotes a healing relationship and is fundamental to human nature. Personal knowing requires that you be in touch with yourself and who you are as a person affects values, beliefs, and behaviors, in either a positive or negative manner.

            My personal knowing affects my professional development in a sense of how “do I know what I know (Chinn & Kramer, 2018)?” When I start my shift at work I bring in nursing knowledge to take care of patients at work, specializing in caring for cardiac and COVID patients. Reflecting on the knowledge that I know from the experiences gained throughout my practice allows me to develop better clinical judgement to care for patients. I am able to know when to call the doctor about an abnormal finding or intervene early to prevent complications in patients. For example, when taking care of COVID patients I can use personal knowing to reflect on the knowledge that they are at risk for blood clots and if a patients complaints of signs and symptoms of deep vein thrombosis, I know right away to call the doctor. I can also advocate for them to be placed on blood thinners on admission to prevent this from occurring in the first place. Using personal knowing allows me to better care for my patients and have better patient outcomes.

Personal Strengths and Weaknesses

 My first personal strength when caring for patients is time management. I am able to care for teams of four to five patients and be able to get everything done on time. This allows me to ensure I give an adequate amount of time to each patient to meet their needs. A second personal strength is helping others. I consistently take time out of the shift, when I have nothing to do to ask others if they need assistance, this can be changing a patient or doing a med pass.

            Furthermore, I believe that I have several weaknesses. The first being my attitude towards difficult patients. There are times at work where I can become increasingly frustrated with difficult patients, but do no display signs of it and internalize the stress, which makes work more difficult at times. Another weakness is that at times I want to do everything at once for a patient, and sometimes have to realize this is not feasible. This can make a shift all the more challenging when having to room in and out of the same room.

Applying Nursing Theory to Address Strengths and Weaknesses

 Nursing theory can be applied to address weaknesses and develop my strengths in two ways. Nursing theories such as the grounded theory can be applied to my current practice to gain a better appreciation for compassion in caring for patients even when they are difficult (Straughair, 2019). It is important to remember as a nurse that patients do not want to be in the hospital as they are lonely and often isolated, especially during a pandemic. This also helps me to realize care is often continuous and to have compassion when a patient requires more care than others. Nursing theory can also further develop my strengths by using a framework for time management when caring for patients and prioritize patient needs based on acuity (Straughair, 2019).

 Summative Assignment: Critique of Research Article

A research critique demonstrates your ability to critically read an investigative study. For this assignment, choose a research article related to nursing or medicine to critique.

• Articles used for one assignment can’t be used for the other assignments (students should find new research articles for each assignment).
• The selected articles should be original research articles. Review articles, meta-analysis, meta-synthesis, and systemic review should not be used.
• Mixed-methods studies should not be used.

Your critique should include the following: Research Problem/Purpose

• State the problem clearly as it is presented in the report.
• Have the investigators placed the study problem within the context of existing knowledge?
• Will the study solve a problem relevant to nursing?
• State the purpose of the research.

Review of the Literature

• Identify the concepts explored in the literature review.
• Were the references current? If not, what do you think the reasons are?

Theoretical Framework

• Are the theoretical concepts defined and related to the research?
• Does the research draw solely on nursing theory or does it draw on theory from other disciplines?
• Is a theoretical framework stated in this research piece?
• If not, suggest one that might be suitable for the study.

Variables/Hypotheses/Questions/Assumptions

• What are the independent and dependent variables in this study?
• Are the operational definitions of the variables given? If so, are they concrete and measurable?
• Is the research question or the hypothesis stated? What is it?

Methodology

• What type of design (quantitative, qualitative, and type) was used in this study?
• Was inductive or deductive reasoning used in this study?
• State the sample size and study population, sampling method, and study setting.
• Did the investigator choose a probability or non-probability sample?
• State the type of reliability and the validity of the measurement tools.
• Were ethical considerations addressed?

Data Analysis

• What data analysis tool was used?
• How were the results presented in the study?
• Identify at least one (1) finding.

Summary/Conclusions, Implications, and Recommendations

• What are the strengths and limitations of the study?
• In terms of the findings, can the researcher generalize to other populations? Explain.
• Evaluate the findings and conclusions as to their significance for nursing.

The body of your paper should be 4–6 double-spaced pages plus a cover page and a reference page. The critique must be attached to the article and follow APA guidelines.

The management of resources is one of the most critical, yet complex and time-consuming activities that nurse managers are challenged to execute in their role.  Budgets detail how time, money, supplies, and people should be acquired and used to support planned services.  The demand for patient safety, quality care, acceptable reimbursement, technological advancement, and adequate staffing ratios requires that managers budget and schedule staff as accurately and efficiently as possible.

You will learn about the budget process and staffing considerations.  Your discussion will link the decisions made when managing these resources to the cost, safety, and quality of services provided.

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

• Discuss the management of personnel and financial resources and its relevance to the quality, safety, and cost of healthcare.
• Correlate successful approaches for coaching, mentoring, and performance appraisals to optimal patient outcomes.

Resources

• Textbook: Leading and Managing in Nursing

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
2. In your textbook Leading and Managing in Nursing, read:
   1. Chapter 20, “Managing Costs and Budgets”
   2. Chapter 13, “Staffing and Scheduling”
   3. Chapter 21, “Selecting, Developing, and Evaluating Staff”
3. Prepare to discuss the following prompts:
   1. Describe specific ways that nurses impact an organizational budget.
   2. Describe the variables that managers consider when creating a staffing plan.
   3. Discuss realistic strategies to address inadequate staffing numbers on a patient care unit.
   4. Why is it important for nurses to receive effective feedback through methods such as proper coaching, staff development opportunities, and accurate performance evaluations?  What impact do these have on nurse satisfaction and patient outcomes?
4. Find at least two current scholarly sources to support your explanations and insights. OCLS resources are preferred sources and can be accessed through IWU Resources. Wikipedia is not permitted, as it is not a peer-reviewed, scholarly source.

  Explain why and how changes in U.S. demographics affect the health care industry. 

400 words. APA format altleast 2 peer reviewed scholarly  references within 5 years.