A key element of the nursing process is the ability to assess the patient holistically and define their needs within the preexisting socioeconomic, socio-cultural and policy borders (Melnyk, 38). Nurses in their day to day activities encounter or interact with patients with varying needs but depicting similarity of needs. One of the primary goals of care is to ensure that the patient, within any setting and in the presence of any healthcare provider is afforded quality care as that which he/she would be afforded by different personnel in a different setting (Scully, 93).
The purpose of nursing theories is to provide a systematic approach in which care providers manage their patients so that there exists a standard measure in which they can assess the quality of care and the appropriateness of the interventions developed. Nursing theories are not in any way exclusive which implies that the nurse has to apply and combine different theories using the care process to ensure appropriateness. In that case, any nursing theory has in itself some concepts, relationships and elements that make is suitable for application within a specific situation while another theory could be equally applicable in the subsequent phase of the nursing process (Melnyk, 23).
The nurse has to determine which theory and which concepts are applicable at any instance and this judgment and decision making is facilitated by the experience that the nurse holds in applying nursing theories. A theory should support the nurse to utilize the critical thinking skills, analytical capabilities, comprehension of the patient situation and concept and further help them build a responsive care plan. The impact of nursing theories is on aspects such as patient outcomes as well as nurse-patient interaction and communication which are the pertinent aspects of proper assessment and evaluation of a patient (Scully, 93).
Works cited
Melnyk, Bernadette Mazurek, and Ellen Fineout-Overholt, eds. Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011.
Scully, Natashia Josephine. "The theory-practice gap and skill acquisition: An issue for nursing education." Collegian 18.2 (2011): 93-98.
