Nursing originated in the 19th century as a set of purely practical skills and adherence to medical guidelines. Gradually, it transformed into a science-based on theoretical knowledge, practical experience, scientific judgment, and critical thinking. According to Florence Nightingale, nursing is distinct and separate from medicine and requires a specific educational base (Theory of Florence Nightingale, n.d., para. 3). Florence Nightingale was among the first to propose a nursing theory. As time went by, nurses began to realize there was a need for developing their models. All nursing models or theories have common positions; these include such concepts as the source of patient’s problems, the goal of the nursing interventions, the means of nursing interventions, the role of the nurse, and the evaluation of the quality and consequences of nursing.
The development of the various nursing theories allowed extending the nursing practice from the medical model, which regarded the patient as a set of anatomical organs and physiological systems and blatantly ignored the fact that health behaviors are contingent on their socio-cultural and socio-economic contexts (Theory as Practice, n.d., para. 27), to more sophisticated theories. According to the modern concept of nursing, in addition to knowledge of basic health care, a nurse should possess sufficient knowledge of psychology, pedagogy, sociology management, and other fields.
Let us review the advantages of such a comprehensive approach on one of the advanced models of nursing proposed by Moyra Allen. According to Allen, nurses should not define health in terms of disease or illness but rather support the individual and family to focus on the health aspects of situations (Snowden, Donnell & Duffy, 2010). The main provisions of Allen’s nursing theory state that the health of the nation is the most valuable wealth; the individuals, families, and communities seek to improve their health, and they are guided to achieve this goal; they have the desire to live, and there are opportunities to achieve this. The theory envisages that the nurse directs the patient to explore healthy habits and healthy behaviors instead of focusing on the weaknesses and problems. According to Moyra Allen, nursing is a science aimed at improving human health and promoting the preservation of health. Its goal is the contribution to the development of healthy families throughout their lives by supporting them and encouraging them to participate actively in the process of life while being responsible for their health. This theory is the most suitable for a visiting nurse, who is not always in control of the patient. The nurse’s role consists in promoting the rules of a healthy lifestyle to the patient and his family and selecting the conversation and persuasion tactics optimum for the patient’s family. The patient and his/her family should actively participate in all phases of the nursing process. The emphasis is made on the development and consolidation of useful habits, such as physical exercises, outdoor activity, and a balanced diet.
Because the proposed theory is very simple and easy to follow, the gap between theory and practice may be avoided. Moyra Allen’s theory provides a framework within which to act along with the application of the discrete medical knowledge possessed by the nurses. According to Allen, it can be applied in any environment, both in the urgent care and intensive care units, schools, the institutions of long-term treatment of the chronically ill, the welfare centers, and at home.
References
Snowden, A., Donnell, A., Duffy, T. (2010). Pioneering Theories in Nursing. London, UK: Quay Books. Theory as Practice. (n.d.)
Theory of Florence Nightingale. (n.d.). Web.