Essential Concepts in Nursing

The following presents an essential concept of nursing, that patient personal and behavior-specific cognitions and affect must be understood in order for the nurse to provide optimal care to the patient. This concept is discussed as it relates to the philosophy and science of caring. Personal lived experience with knowledge of change and transition is included in the discussion. Roles and competencies of the Registered Nurse as they relate to the concept of needing to understand patient cognitions are noted and supported with primary resource articles, which provide information about nursing knowledge and application of the concept to practice. This is followed by a summary and conclusions.

Identification of the Concept of Nursing and Theoretical Framework

The essential concept of nursing for this paper is the notion that patient personal and behavior-specific cognitions and their affect must be understood in order for the nurse to provide optimal care to the patient. Pender's comprehensive model of health promotion can be used to explain the concept of nursing, which is the topic of this paper. In accordance with this model, patient cognitions and resulting emotional affect are important factors in patient care in all areas to include change and transition phases. The nurse must understand patient cognitions as they relate to these processes in order to ensure that the patient takes part in optimal health promoting behaviors a

Related Essays

Four Nursing Theories .... In this review, the essential elements of each of the theories .... model of nursing is implemented within the "nursing metaparadigm concepts of person .... (1024 4 )

Advanced Nursing Practice .... that applications of the concepts will lead .... practitioner and the clinical nursing specialist competencies .... the contemporary period are essential components of .... (3028 12 )

CONCEPTS AND THEORIES OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR Application of these concepts and approaches in the .... the desires of subordinates is an essential element required .... Nursing's vision in a competitive environment. .... (2327 9 )

Caring in the practice of nursing .... systems, nurses require knowledge of concepts of organization .... is central to the practice of nursing (Benner, 1984 .... of humanity, that care is essential for human .... (2285 9 )

Concept of Coping in Nursing .... phenomenon of stress is essential to life .... a particular theoretical framework for nursing (Goosen, 1982 .... of publications regarding theories and concepts of change .... (3471 14 )

patient, but unless the patient's perception of each aspect of these programs is understood, it is not likely that all needs will be addressed. What is perceived by the healthcare practitioner as positive and helpful may be perceived by the patient as anxiety provoking and a barrier to care. Personal Experience Relevant to the Essential Concept of Nursing Personal experience has supported the notion that it is critical for the nurse to understand what the patient perceives related to his or her illness and transition phases. This concept is imperative to ensure that the nurse acts in a manner that is caring as well as proficient. Personal lived experience has resulted in the knowledge that patients have a great deal of anxiety when it comes to facing change and transition to a new setting. The Registered Nurse has the role of making sure that the patient is understood and this requires competencies related to identifying patient cognitions and methods to change non-functional beliefs that serve as barriers to effective transition. These conclusions were recently exemplified by a situation in which an adolescent patient was being discharged from a mental health program at a hospital to return to the communit

Category: Medical - E