How has nursing practice evolved over time? Discuss the key leaders and historical events that have influenced the advancement of nursing, nursing education, and nursing roles that are now part of the contemporary nursing profession. Re: Topic 3 DQ 2

The conceptual model directs how research should be conducted, defines theories, and depicts how the theories fit together. Nursing theory, on the other hand, is a set of well-defined and systemic ideas that help to organize disciplinary thinking and influence practice (Whitney, 2018). The conceptual model defines nursing theory and serves as a research framework, whereas nursing theory is used in nursing practice on a daily basis.

The theory of Dorothea Orem emphasizes self-care, self-care deficit, and nursing systems. Self-care refers to what the patient can do to maintain health; nursing staff assists the patient in addressing deficits in order to achieve health; and nursing systems refer to how nursing actions result in health restoration. The goal is to assist the individual in taking care of themselves and staying healthy, either entirely or partially (Melo et al., 2020). When a deficiency impairs a patient’s ability to care for themselves, the nursing staff provides care and educates the individual until they achieve independence. Being self-sufficient allows the patient to return to his or her previous level of function.

As an example, suppose a patient is admitted with an infected diabetic wound. The nursing process is used by the nurse to collect data, assess, form a nursing diagnosis, plan, implement, and evaluate care. The nurse can then identify the patient’s strengths and weaknesses. Through return demonstration, the nurse will educate the patient on blood sugar control and wound care. When the patient is discharged, this will assist them in achieving self-care and returning to their previous state of health.