Nursing Theories

Year: 1859 | Country: England

Florence Nightingale revolutionized nursing by establishing that the physical environment is fundamental to health recovery. Her theory emphasizes that clean, airy, and well-lit environments promote healing, while dirty and poorly ventilated environments contribute to disease and death. The theory establishes five essential elements: pure air, pure water, efficient drainage, cleanliness, and light.

Reference Book: NIGHTINGALE, F. Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What It Is Not. London: Harrison, 1860.

Year: 1979 | Country: Brazil

Wanda Horta developed a theory that classifies human needs into three groups: psychobiological (oxygen, water, food, elimination), psychosocial (security, communication, love, education), and psychospiritual (religion, beliefs, values). The theory emphasizes that all needs are interdependent and must be met to maintain the person's integral health.

Reference Book: HORTA, W. A. Processo de enfermagem [Nursing Process]. São Paulo: EPU, 1979.

Year: 1959-2001 | Country: United States

Orem's theory establishes that people have the natural ability to care for themselves, but when this ability is compromised, the need for nursing arises. The theory comprises three interconnected theories: Self-Care Theory (actions the person takes to maintain life, health, and well-being), Self-Care Deficit Theory (when self-care ability is insufficient), and Nursing Systems Theory (compensatory, partially compensatory, and supportive-educative care systems).

Reference Book: OREM, D. E. Nursing: Concepts of Practice. 6th ed. St. Louis: Mosby, 2001.

Year: 1976 | Country: United States

Roy's Adaptation Model is based on the idea that people are open systems that continuously interact with the environment. Adaptation processes involve four modes: physiological (physical needs), self-concept (how the person perceives themselves), role function (how the person deals with the environment), and interdependence (important relationships). Adaptation is the process and result of thoughts and behaviors that promote human integrity.

Reference Book: ROY, C.; ANDREWS, H. A. The Roy Adaptation Model. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2013.

Year: 1952 | Country: United States

Peplau defined nursing as a therapeutic interpersonal process that occurs between two or more people. The theory describes four phases of the therapeutic relationship: orientation (problem identification), identification (working together to solve the problem), exploitation (searching for new alternatives), and resolution (development of new patterns). The theory emphasizes the mutual personal growth of the nurse and the patient through the relationship.

Reference Book: PEPLAU, H. E. Interpersonal Relations in Nursing. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1952.

Year: 1979 | Country: United States

Watson developed a humanistic theory that places caring at the center of nursing. The theory includes ten carative factors: formation of a humanistic-altruistic system of values, instillation of faith-hope, cultivation of sensitivity to one’s self and to others, development of a helping-trusting relationship, promotion and acceptance of the expression of positive and negative feelings, systematic use of the scientific problem-solving method for decision making, promotion of interpersonal teaching-learning, provision for a supportive, protective, and/or corrective mental, physical, sociocultural, and spiritual environment, assistance with the gratification of human needs, and allowance for existential-phenomenological forces.

Reference Book: WATSON, J. Nursing: Human Science and Human Care. Norwalk, CT: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1985.

Year: 1978 | Country: United States

Leininger developed the first theory specifically for transcultural nursing, based on culture care. The Sunrise Model includes cultural factors that influence care: values, beliefs, practices, language, technologies, religion, philosophy, politics, economy, education, and social system. The goal is to provide culturally congruent care that is beneficial, satisfying, and meaningful to people.

Reference Book: LEININGER, M. M. Culture Care Diversity and Universality: A Theory of Nursing. New York: NLN Press, 1991.

Year: 1988 | Country: United States

Mishel defined uncertainty in illness as the inability to determine the meaning of illness-related events, occurring when the decision-maker is unable to assign definite value to objects or events and/or is unable to accurately predict outcomes. The theory explains how patients cognitively structure a schema for subjective interpretation of illness-related events and how this affects their ability to adapt.

Reference Book: MISHEL, M. H. Uncertainty in illness. Image: Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 20(4), 225-232, 1988.

Year: 1981 | Country: United States

King's theory focuses on the nurse-patient relationship as a process of transactions to attain specific goals. The theory includes three interacting systems: personal system (individual), interpersonal system (two or more people), and social system (organized groups). The transactional process involves perception, communication, interaction, transaction, and the role of the nurse. Goals are mutually established by the nurse and patient.

Reference Book: KING, I. M. A Theory for Nursing: Systems, Concepts, Process. New York: Wiley, 1981.

Year: 1970 | Country: United States

Rogers developed a theory that views human beings as integral unitary beings in constant interaction with their environments. The theory includes four postulates: energy fields (human beings are energy fields), openness (infinite energy domains), pattern (identifiable characteristic of the field), and pandimensionality (non-linear domain). The three homeodynamic principles are: resonancy (continuous change), helicy (spiral development), and integrality (continuous mutual human field and environmental field process).

Reference Book: ROGERS, M. E. An Introduction to the Theoretical Basis of Nursing. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis, 1970.

Year: 1973 | Country: United States

Myra Levine developed a holistic theory based on the principle of energy conservation. The Conservation Model emphasizes the preservation of the patient's integrity and wholeness through four fundamental principles: conservation of energy, conservation of structural integrity, conservation of personal integrity, and conservation of social integrity. The theory focuses on patient adaptation and health promotion through conservative interventions that preserve what is essential for life.

Reference Book: LEVINE, M. E. Introduction to Clinical Nursing. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1973.