By

Oluyemisi A. Okudele

Faye Glenn
Abdellahs
Patient-Centered
Approaches to
Nursing
Faye Glenn Abdellah, pioneer

nursing researcher, helped

transform nursing theory, nursing
care and nursing education .
In 1960, She was influenced by

the desire to promote clientcentered comprehensive nursing

care, Abdellah described nursing
as a service to individuals, to
families, and, therefore to, to
society.
Former Chief Nurse Officer for

the US Public Health Service ,

Department of Health and human
services, Washington, D.C.
Dr Abdellah worked as Deputy

Surgeon General .

Grand theory based on Human

Needs.

Patient-Centered
Approaches to Nursing
Patient-centered approach to nursing was developed by Faye

G. Abdellah. Developed inductively from her practice and is

considered a human needs theory.

This theory was created to assist with nursing education,

and is most applicable to the education of nurses.

The intension was to guide care of patients in the hospital, it

also has relevance for nursing care in community settings.

According to Faye, nursing is based on an art and science

that mould the attitudes, intellectual competencies, and

technical skills of the individual nurse into the desire and
ability to help people , sick or well, cope with their health
needs

Patient-Centered
Approaches to Nursing
Abdellah and her colleagues developed a list of 21

nursing problems.

The 21 problems are actually a model describing the

"arenas" or concerns of nursing, rather than a theory

describing relationships among phenomena.

In this way,the theory distinguished the practice of

nursing, with a focus on the 21 nursing problems, from

the practice of medicine, with a focus on disease and
cure.

The theory also help to identify nursing responsibilities.

Nursing
Responsibilities
Effective communication

between patient and caregiver.

Information is accurate, timely
and appropriate.
Do everything possible to

alleviate patients pain and make

them feel comfortable.
We provide emotional support

and alleviate fears and anxiety.

We involve family and friends in

every phase of our patients care.

We ensure a smooth transition

and continuity from one focus of

care to another.
We guarantee every member of

our community has access to our

care.

Patient-Centered
Approaches to Nursing
They also identified 10 steps to identify the

clients problems: Which will help the nurses to

learn to know the patient, Identify a therapeutic plan,
discuss and develop a comprehensive nursing care
plan.
11 nursing skills to be used in developing a

treatment typology: Which includes the

observation of health status,skills of communication,
application of knowledge, teaching of patients and
families, use of resource materials, use of personnel
resources, problem-solving

Patient-Centered
Approaches to Nursing
Application to nursing
Abdellahs theory states that nursing is the use of the
problem solving approach with key nursing problems
related to health needs of people.
Health is a dynamic pattern of functioning whereby

there is a continued interaction with internal and

external forces that results in the optimum use of
necessary resources that serve to minimize
vulnerabilities.

Such a statement maintains problem solving as the

vehicle for the nursing problems as the client is moved

toward health the outcome.

Patient-Centered
Approaches to Nursing
Researches Completed
Oncology Nursing: Palliative Care; APatient-

CenteredApproach-Is a method described in the PatientCenteredMedicine--This approachto patient care focuses on

balancing caring and curing in providing care for patients in the
21st century. Was used by clinicians from Australia and England.

National Institute of Health: General practitioners and

nurses in 21 practices were trained in patient-centered

consulting and use of materials for people with Type 2 diabetes.

Trained nurses rated delivery of important aspects of care and

satisfaction with style of care as lower than comparison nurses,

and patients were more positive about delivery of care from
trained than comparison nurses.

Patient-Centered
Approaches to Nursing
Patient-Centered Approaches to Nursing will be a good

approach to use in my practice, since I worked with

psychiatric patients (The Criminal Section).

This will be a chance for the nurses to focus on the care

of the patient, not their crime, because when a patient

is been admitted, it has been the perspective of the
nurses to judge them, based on the crime committed.

Patient Centered Approach should be used; This

approachto our patients will focus on balancing, caring,

and also curing when we provide care for our patients.

References
Lehigh Valley Health Network: A passion for better Medicine ;The Patient-Centered Approach to Care.

(2009). Retrieved September 21st 2009, from http://www.lvhn.org/nurses%7C631.

Current Nursing: A portals for Nursing Professionals; Nursing Theories: A companion to nursing theories and

models(2009). Retrieved September 21st 2009, from

http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/Abdellah.htm

HighBeam Research: Palliative Care, Oncology Nursing Forum; A Patient-Centered Approach(2008).

Retrieved September 21st 2009, from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-181236355.html

NCBI: A service of the U.S National Library of Medicine and theNational Institutes of Health; (1999). Diabetes care

from diagnosis, effects of training in patient-centered care on beliefs, attitudes and behavior of primary
care professionals. Retrieved September 21st 2009, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10640121?ordinalpos=9&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEn
.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

McEwen, M. & Wills, E.M. (2006). Theoretical Basis for Nursing: Patient-Centered Approaches to Nursing (2nd Ed).
Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams &Wilkins.