Nursing is an objectively undervalued profession that is essential to a functioning hospital environment. It is established that theory has a valuable input on the effectiveness of the nursing staff in real-life situations (Oducado et al., 2019). However, it is often the case that the nursing theories are not prioritized in everyday scenarios, with the personnel giving preference to customs. The gap between theory and practice remains significant (Greenway et al., 2019) as some staff act in established ways without understanding the underlying reasons for them. The reasons for the gap being problematic, some potential causes, and various possible solutions will be discussed in this essay. Furthermore, the essay states the need for deeper research into the solutions of this problem that are efficient and current.
Why the Theory-Practice Gap is Problematic
Firstly, the gap between theory and practice diminishes the motivation of nursing students to put effort into studying the theories in nursing schools. If the students believe that their time is being wasted and that the knowledge they obtain will not be used in their future careers, they will be less motivated to study. Secondly, the gap can decrease the trust level between the nursing personnel and the patients. The credibility of the nursing professionals falters when it is clear that they do not follow learned theories (Leach & Tucker, 2018). Lastly, an increase in the gap might lead to a decrease in the quality of patient care (Salifu et al., 2018). Since the nurses do not always know the underlying reasons for the customs they follow in practice, they might not act in the most efficient or correct ways in unusual situations. Since the nursing theories are often relatively abstract, there is an established lack of faith in nursing research which needs to be addressed.
Potential Solutions
The potential solutions include increasing clinical time, increasing motivation, and educating the education staff on the problem. Firstly, according to Safazadeh et al. (2018), there is a lack of good communication between the theoretical and practical units in the nursing schools. Hence, bettering communication would help bridge the gap. Similarly, according to Abusalah and Salama (2018), some recommendations include adding simulator equipment into the labs to help students practice the theory during their studies. Secondly, Shoghi et al. (2019) suggest increasing the motivation of the teaching professionals to provide the students with both theoretical and practical knowledge. Thirdly, it is vital to improve the attitudes of both the students and the existing nursing personnel on nursing research. The importance of research must be emphasized and a paradigm shift is needed to raise awareness of the problem. Overall, it is vital to find new solutions to this ongoing problem.
Conclusion
The consensus in the medical community is that there is a need to bridge the gap between theory and practice in nursing. Specifically, there is a need for the change of paradigm of considering nursing research as less valuable than practice. For the above-mentioned reasons, namely the risks of decreased patient-personnel trust, decreased student motivation, and potential detriment in patient care quality, it is a serious issue (Leach & Tucker, 2018). Medical personnel continues to make immense efforts to shorten the gap as much as possible (Zieber & Wojtowicz, 2019). Nevertheless, a complete solution is yet to be found, and there is a need for extensive research of nursing theories that would cement the scientific base on the nursing profession.
References
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Greenway, K., Butt, G. & Walthall, H. (2019). What is a theory-practice gap? An exploration of the concept. Nurse Education in Practice, 34, 1-6.
Leach, M. J. & Tucker, B. (2018). Current understandings of the research-practice gap in nursing: A mixed-methods study. Collegian, 25(2), 171-179.
Oducado, R. M., Amboy, M. K. Q., Penuela, A. C. & Belo-Delariarte, R. G. (2019). Correlation between theoretical classroom instruction and related learning experiences: evidence from a Philippine nursing university. International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 8(12), 3666-3670.
Safazadeh, S., Irajpour, A., Alimohammadi, N. & Haghani, F. (2018). Exploring the reasons for theory-practice gap in emergency nursing education: A qualitative research. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 7, 132.
Salifu, D. A., Gross, J., Salifu, M. A. & Ninnoni, J. P. K. (2018). Experiences and perceptions of the theory-practice gap in nursing in a resource-constrained setting: A qualitative description study. Nursing Open, 6(1), 72-83.
Shoghi, M., Sajadi, M., Oskuie, F., Dehnad, A. & Borimnejad, L. (2019). Strategies for bridging the theory-practice gap from the perspective of nursing experts. Heliyon, 5(9), 1-6.
Zieber, M. & Wojtowicz, B. (2019). To dwell within: Bridging the theory–practice gap. Nursing Philosophy, 21(2).