(According to Function)
(According to Scope)
1. Grand theories – are simply known to speak about a broad range of important relationship
among concepts of a discipline. They are made up of concepts representing common and
extremely complex phenomena.
- They arise at a time when Nursing was addressing its nature, mission and
goals.
- Its purpose is to provide a general framework for crating and structuring
broad and abstract ideas.
- Examples: Orem’s Self-care Theory of Nursing and Neuman Systems Model
Theory
2. Middle Range theories – lower in level of abstraction than grand theories because they include
details specific to nursing practice and offer a more direct application to research and practice.
- Descriptions, explanations, and predictions are made with the purpose of
answering questions about different nursing phenomena.
- They specify such things as the health condition, patient population, and the
location of practice and the different interventions of the nurse.
- Examples: Hildegard Peplau’s Psychodynamic nursing, Joyce Travelbee’s
human-to-human relationship model, Madeleine Leininger’s Transcultural
Theory in Nursing, and Margaret Newman’s Model of Health.
3. Micro-Range Theories – situation-specific and limited to particular populations or fields of
practice and also linking of concrete concepts into a statement that can be observed in practice
and research.
- Known to be the most concrete and narrow in scope
It is important to know the contributions of nursing theories to the different nursing fields (education,
research and practice).
Example:
Florence Nightingale (Environmental Theory) and her contributions to:
Nursing Practice – the theory emphasized on environmental aspects as integral part of nursing care:
good ventilation, proper control of noise, sanitation and water treatment.
Nursing Education – the development of excellent training system in St. Thomas Hospital and King’s
College Hospital in London.
Research – invented the “polar diagrams” to analyze and gather data.
** ASSIGNMENT: to be written on one whole sheet of pad paper and passed on Nov 8.
Identify the contributions of each theorist/theory to the different fields of nursing (practice, education
and research):
1. Madeleine Leininger (Transcultural Nursing)
2. Jean Watson (Philosophy and Science of Caring)
EMPIRICAL KNOWING – the principal form relating factual and descriptive knowing aimed at the
expansion of abstract and theoretical explanations. Any scientific, research-based, theoretical and
factual information that the nurse makes use of is under empirical knowing.
- The primary model of knowing
- As a part of empirics, clinical and conceptual knowledge are the keys to
nursing practice.
- Focuses on evidence-based research(promotes quality care that has been
demonstrated/proven to be effective) for effective and accurate nursing
practice.
Example: 1. knowledge obtained from books, lectures, journals and online resources.
2. John, a nursing student answers a question posed by the clinical instructor based on
what he learned from school.
3. Chester, a nurse researcher, uses scientific method to produce desired study
results.
4. Nurse Michelle practices nursing interventions based from accepted clinical
practices.
ETHICAL KNOWING – requires the knowledge of different philosophical positions regarding what is good
and right in making moral actions and decisions, particularly in the theoretical and clinical components
of nursing.
- The code of ethics that leads the conduct of nurses is the main basis for
ethical knowing.
- It is deeply rooted in the concepts of human dignity, service and respect for
life.
- Lessening suffering, upholding and preserving health is one of the key
elements why nursing is a core service in society.
- It includes all deliberate nursing actions involving ethics and
professionalism.
Examples: 1. Nurse Carl presents himself as a patient advocate and defends his client’s right to
choose care.
PERSONAL KNOWING – encompasses knowledge of the self in relation to others and to self. It involves
the entirety of the Nurse-Patient Relationship.