Introduction
Understanding a theoretical perspective in nursing plays an important role in defining care quality. There are three levels of nursing theories, namely high, middle, and low, and their difference is abstraction application. High-level or grand nursing theories are based on abstract and complex concepts that cannot be tested. Such theorists rely on their experiences to describe an idea without implementing interventions. In contrast, middle-range theories are used in more specific areas and narrow research scope to address a specific phenomenon. Finally, low-range theories focus on interventions for nurses within a particular situation. They create a framework that may be tested to check its impact on nursing practice.
Middle-range theory definition
When a researcher uses a middle-range nursing theory, choosing a particular area and practice is essential. This choice is one of the most comprehensive and effective because it allows for defining the connection between theory and practice. Besides, middle-range theories help limit dimensions and use specific knowledge in developing practical solutions and testing the offered suggestions from multiple perspectives. These approaches are concrete because only a few concepts are applied within the same situation. Instead of using several ideas, problems, or expectations, middle-range theorists organize their thoughts in a clear and informative way.
Study Results and practical implications
There are many research studies in which middle-range theories can be applied. For example, Barreiro et al. (2020) aimed to examine diagnostic validation of the low self-efficacy concept in health and nursing care by constructing a middle-range theory for diagnosis validation. The results include 18 etiological factors and 16 clinical indicators for diagnosing low self-efficacy in the healthcare sector (Barreiro et al., 2020). Despite the limitation of concept broadness, the contributions and practical implications of the offered approach cannot be ignored.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the middle-range theory is effective for clinical practice in detecting expectations and personal perceptions in patients. Thus, it creates a solid basis for new nursing diagnosis approaches.
Reference
Barreiro, R. G., Lopes, M. V. D. O., & Cavalcante, L. D. P. (2020). Middle-range theory for the nursing diagnosis of low self-efficacy in health. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 73(5).