Grand and Mid Range Theories

Grand and Mid Range Theories Nursing theories are organized, patterned or systemic approaches to provide guidelines for professional nursing practice. Theories “consists of sets of interconnected propositions designed to describe, explain and practice an event or phenomenon” (Lortenz p. 39). Chinn & Krammer (1991) discuss a theory as a systemic abstraction of reality intended to serve some purpose. The continuum of theories range greatly from grand theories at one end, theories that focus on practice at the other end and mid-range (or middle range) somewhere in the middle (Parker, 2001, p. 9). Middle range theories are theories that are the least abstract set of concepts specific to nursing practice. These theories are able to reach a specific population, given place or time with the process usually beginning at a simple, single descriptor concept. (Tomey & Alligood, 2002, p. 5). Grand theories are the most abstract of all theory. The abstract theories are on multiple different levels and attempt”to create a view of the whole of nursing” (Peterson & Bredow, 2004, p. 25). Grand theories are theories because they do propose something that is true or testable” (Tomey & Allgood, p. 6). Grand theories are global theories that work within each discipline of nursing and include relationships between environment, people and society. There are over 50 Grand theories in existence at present time but that number varies based on the label assigned to the work. (Peterson & Bredow, 2004). My capstone project will be “Faith Based Cardiovascular health promotion in rural Southern African American Population”. My guiding theory will be Leininger’s Culture Care Theory from which cultural competency is derived (Lorentz, p. 38). Leininger has stressed the important that nurses must consider cultural factors throughout the nursing process and that for nurses to have successful client care for the different culture background, communication must be present.

References: Maier-Lorenz, M. (2008) Transcultural nursing: Its importance in nursing practice Peterson S.J. & Bredow, T. S. (2004). Middle range theories: application to nursing research Tomey, A.M. & Alligood, M. R. (2002). Nursing theorists and their work (5th Ed) Transcultural Nursing,Nursing theories, a companion to nursing theories and models (2010)