Use of theories and grand theories in nursing
Use of theories and grand theories in nursing
The use of theories and grand theories in nursing is of utmost importance since they have been shown to guide nursing practice. According to Evangelista et al. (2020), theories are a creative and rigorous structuring of ideas with the sole intention of projecting a tentative, purposeful, and systematic view of phenomena. A middle-range theory in Watson’s theory is the application of human caring in inter-professional teams (Concept A) enhances (Proposition) improvement of health among patients (Concept B). This middle-range theory shows a codependence between the professional and the patient in search of holistic care. There is reciprocity in the relationship in that the failure of one leads to a negative effect on the other as every person is viewed as a whole regardless of disease. The major conceptual elements, in theory, are the carative factors, a caring relationship, and caring moments (Najeh Alharbi & Ghazi Baker, 2020). All in all, the presence of all these caring moments can facilitate the provision of holistic care for the patient.
As a grand theory, the Watson theory of caring involves abstract concepts which should be analyzed to support research and nursing care delivery. In most cases, grand theories are based on broad, abstract, and complex concepts, and this is no different from the Watson theory, which is based on four metaparadigm concepts in nursing such as health, nursing, environment, and the person or human being (Evangelista et al., 2020). In all these concepts, the nurse is viewed as a co-participant of the caring process; as such, they should aid the patients in finding meaning even in times of suffering. While the Watson theory is complex and abstract, healthcare professionals can still find a caring environment that can enable them to care for themselves and others, thereby promoting patient care.
