Orem's Nursing Theory

There are many situations in nursing care where a nurse would apply a nursing theory. As Hood mentioned, a particular nursing theory may fit a clinical situation better than others (Hood, 2014, p.149). This allows the nurse to use the wide array of models to give care that is patient centered. The theory that appealed to me most is Orem’s theory. Orem’s theory states that “the purpose of nursing is to help people meet their self-care needs” (Hood, 2014, p.136). This I feel plays an important part in the recovery of the patient.

As a nurse, I have encountered patients who have a diverse situation and typically need more resources to address their needs. An example was during my clinical practice; I was assigned to an elderly gentleman whose
Self-care describes the behaviors that a person learns to perform for himself that contribute to health (Hood, 2014. P.136). The self-care deficit is the “relationship between actions that a person should take for health functioning” (Hood, 2014. P. 136). The self-care requisites are the needs that are associated with the development of health (Hood, 2014, p.136). Self-care demand is “therapeutic actions to meet needs” (Hood, 2014., p.136). Lastly, the agency is the “capability to engage in self-care” (Hood, 2014, p. 136). During my encounter, I evaluated the patient’s current physical state and what were the factors that contributed to it. Along with poor management of his healthcare needs, he also lacked social support from family and was not in a clear mental state to make his needs as a priority. These were internal problems that needed to be addressed because by even trying to fix the current problem he was admitted for; the care would not have benefited him to keep his health in good standing. Working with the collaborative team, we included social services to look into resources for the patient, which included meal services, community programs for seniors, and follow-up care for the patient. Due to the lack of support from his primary family members, he needed additional monitoring to ensure his
I feel that Orem’s self-care theory gives a general understanding of what needs to be monitored for a patient whether it’s in the inpatient or outpatient setting. A patient may not state that they need assistance, whether its physical, social, or psychological. Although, as a nurse, we need to look at the broader picture and break down what is the problem, as small as it may be, and address to give the patient the best possible recovery in