Running head: CONCEPT COMPARISON AND ANALYSIS ACROSS THEORIES 1

Concept Comparison and Analysis Across Theories

NUR/513

Rebecca Toothaker

May 31, 2010

 Concept Comparison and Analysis Across Theories

Core concepts embody a theory creating the bases for the theory or model. In nursing,

concepts help in the development of theories. Theorists have developed different models or

theories but have common core concepts. This paper will identify a core concept that several

theorists have in share compare and analyze the concept definitions among the selected theories,

and discuss the practical use of the one theory.

Common Concept

The core concept common to two or more theories is nursing. Dorothea Orem’s and

Virginia Henderson’s use the nursing concept in their theory to define the role of nursing. Orem

defines nursing as the “actions deliberately selected and performed by nurses to help individuals

or groups under their care to maintain or change conditions in themselves or their environments”

(Current Nursing, 2010, para. 4). Henderson defines nursing as nurses assisting the individual,

ill or healthy, in the performing activities that contribute to the individuals health or recuperation

(even a peaceful death) that the individual performs without help if armed with strength, resolve

or information (Current Nursing, 2010, para. 6). The concepts are common in that nursing

support the patient in recovering their optimal health. An individual that is experiencing

difficulties or self-care deficit Orem defined need nursing interventions. The difference in

Henderson and Orem’s nursing concept is that Henderson’s concept determines that nursing is

needed when the individual is healthy or sick. In contrast, Orem’s nursing concept requires a

patient to have a self-deficit for nursing support. The concepts are applicable in different nursing

settings because the goals of both concepts are the same.

 Orem’s Self-Care Theory

Dorothea Orem Self-care model uses the meta-paradigms of nursing, person, health, and

environment. Orem claimed a philosophy of modern realism and her self-care theory was that of

logical positivism. The Self-care Model is comprised of self-care, self-care deficit, and nursing

system. Self-care is the “practice of activities that individual initiates and performs on their own

behalf in maintaining life, health and well-being” (Current Nursing, 2010, para. 4).

Self–care deficit requires nursing action. According to Fitzpatrick & Whall (2005),

“nursing is needed when persons are unable to provide for themselves the amount and quality of

self-care needed to regulate their own functioning and development because of personal health

problems” (p. 104). Nursing system delineates how the nurse, patient, or both meet an

individual’s self-care needs. In clinical practice self-care is the ability for an individual to

perform activities to maintain health independently. An individual unable to perform activities

to maintain health experiences self-care deficit. Now nursing action is necessary. Nurses

construct interventions to “provide or manage self-care actions for sustaining health or

recovering from illness or injury” (Taylor, LeMone, Lillis, & Lynn, 2008, p. 86). In essence,

nursing meets the needs of the individual through teaching, support, and environmental changes

that promote the patient’s ability to perform self-care again.

The common concept discussed in this paper was nursing, which is essential to

Henderson and Orem’s theory. Nursing provides the actions taken to promote, maintain and

recover an individual’s health. Orem’s Self-care Model demonstrated the role of nursing in

caring for an individual. Nursing provides the interventions required to help an individual back

to self-care or optimal health and well-being.

 References

Current Nursing. (2010). Dorothea Orem’s Theory. Retrieved from

http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/self_care_deficit_theory.html

Current Nursing. (2010). Virginia Henderson’s Need Theory. Retrieved from

http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/Henderson.html

Fitzpatrick, J. J., & Whall, A. (2005). Conceptual Models of Nursing: Analysis and Application

(4 ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Taylor, C. R., LeMone, P., Lillis, C., & Lynn, P. (2008). Fundamentals of Nursing; The art and

science of nursing care (6 ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.