Orem’s general theory of nursing in three related parts:-
- Theory of self care
- Theory of self care deficit
- Theory of nursing system
A. Theory of Self Care
This theory Includes:
- Self care – practice of activities that individual initiates and perform on their own behalf in maintaining life ,health and well being
- Self care agency – is a human ability which is "the ability for engaging in self care" -conditioned by age developmental state, life experience sociocultural orientation health and available resources
- Therapeutic self care demand – "totality of self care actions to be performed for some duration in order to meet self care requisites by using valid methods and related sets of operations and actions"
- Self care requisites-action directed towards provision of self care. 3 categories of self care requisites are-
1. Universal
- Developmental
- Health deviation
2. Universal self care requisites
- Associated with life processes and the maintenance of the integrity of human structure and functioning
- Common to all , ADL
- Identifies these requisites as:
- Maintenance of sufficient intake of air ,water, food
- Provision of care assoc with elimination process
- Balance between activity and rest, between solitude and social interaction
- Prevention of hazards to human life well being and
- Promotion of human functioning
3. Developmental self care requisites
- Associated with developmental processes/ derived from a condition…. Or associated with an event
- E.g. adjusting to a new job
- adjusting to body changes
- Health deviation self care
- Required in conditions of illness, injury, or disease .these include:--
- Seeking and securing appropriate medical assistance
- Being aware of and attending to the effects and results of pathologic conditions
- Effectively carrying out medically prescribed measures
- Modifying self concepts in accepting oneself as being in a particular state of health and in specific forms of health care
- Learning to live with effects of pathologic conditions
B. Theory of self care deficit
- Specifies when nursing is needed
- Nursing is required when an adult (or in the case of a dependent, the parent) is incapable or limited in the provision of continuous effective self care. Orem identifies 5 methods of helping:
- Acting for and doing for others
- Guiding others
- Supporting another
- Providing an environment promoting personal development in relation to meet future demands
- Teaching another
C. Theory of Nursing Systems
- Describes how the patient’s self care needs will be met by the nurse , the patient, or both
- Identifies 3 classifications of nursing system to meet the self care requisites of the patient:-
- Wholly compensatory system
- Partly compensatory system
- Supportive – educative system
- Design and elements of nursing system define
- Scope of nursing responsibility in health care situations
- General and specific roles of nurses and patients
- Reasons for nurses’ relationship with patients and
- The kinds of actions to be performed and the performance patterns and nurses’ and patients’ actions in regulating patients’ self care agency and in meeting their self care demand
- Orem recognized that specialized technologies are usually developed by members of the health profession
- A technology is systematized information about a process or a method for affecting some desired result through deliberate practical endeavor ,with or without use of materials or instruments
Source : currentnursing.com