Theoretical Framework in Nursing

Theoretical Framework in Nursing

ELEMENTS, APPROACHES AND STRATEGIES OF THEORY DEVELOPMENT

Basic Elements In Theory Building

Relationship among THEORY, RESEARCH and PRACTICE

PRACTICE
RESEARCH
THEORY

* Relationship between THEORY and RESEARCH

Research validates and modifies theory.

* Relationship between THEORY and PRACTICE

Theory guides practice.

* Relationship between RESEARCH and PRACTICE

Research is the key to the development of a discipline.

Approaches To Theory Development

* Theory – Practice – Theory

An existing theory (non-nursing) that can help describe and explain a phenomenon, but the theory is not complete or not completely developed for nursing.

* Practice – Theory

Existing theories are not useful in describing the phenomenon of interest; theory is derived from clinical situations.

* Research – Theory

Development of theory is based on research; theories evolve from replicated and confirmed research findings.

* Theory – Research Theory

Theory drives the research questions, the result of the research informs and modifies the theory.
Concept Development

CONCEPT
Term that refers to phenomena that occur in nature or in thought

TYPES OF CONCEPT

* ABSTRACT – not clearly observable * CONCRETE – directly observable

Example:

Abstract Concept | Concrete Concept | Social System | Nurse – patient – family – caregiver | Telemetry | Electrocardiogram / Holter Monitor |

* VARIABLE / CONTINUOUS – permits classification of dimension of a phenomena * NON-VARIABLE / DISCRETE – identifies categories or classes of characteristics

Example:

* THEORETICAL – gives meaning to a term in context of a theory and permits any reader to assess validity of the definition. * OPERATIONAL – tells how the concept is linked to concrete situations and describes a set of procedures that will be performed to assign a value for the concept.

Example: