Running head: IMPORTANCE OF NURSING THEORIES 1

Importance of Nursing Theory to Education, Research and Practice

Charisse Mae C. Cotejar

Biliran Province State University

IMPORTANCE OF NURSING THEORIES 2

Abstract

The importance of theory in nursing to research is that nurse researchers will be able to review

and make ways in which they apply theory in guiding research and writing publications.

Scholars can appreciate how theory can guide researchers in building knowledge about a given

condition such as preventive behaviors if nurses had improved understanding of theory-guided

research, they could better assess, and apply theory-guided interventions in their practices.

Clinicians and researchers can collaborate to apply and examine the usefulness of theory. While

in education, nursing theory is of paramount importance that provide direction to nursing

research and guide nursing practice to its full potential to the discipline, it is imperative that

education for a practice discipline emphasizes theory across all levels of the curriculum. The

role of theory in nursing practice is viewed from the perspective of knowledge-use in practice,

and is examined in the context of the nature of nursing practice and the structure of nursing

knowledge which is in two levels: a general, un-specified level and a particularistic, situation-

specific level. At the general, un-specified level, the On the other hand, at the particularistic,

situation-specific level, the theory’s role is to provide theoretical rationales to guide the ways

specific nursing actions are produced in clinical situations theory’s role is to establish

orientations and commitments to nursing perspectives. Nursing practice becomes knowledge-

based by integrating the levels of theory-use in clinical situations.

IMPORTANCE OF NURSING THEORIES 3

Importance of Nursing Theory to Education, Research and Practice

Theories exist to challenge existing practice, create new approaches to practice, and

remodel the structure of rules and principles and nursing theory plays an important role to

research, because it gives a set of concepts and prepositions and examined systematically

across studies of clinical problems (Meleis, 2012). Though, not all research are theory guided

as it is done to make a theory about a new phenomenon by doing so, researchers can build

scientific knowledge more efficiently than if they were not theory guided. And in doing

research it is very essential to apply all the relevant components from theories, because the lack

of adequate application of theory to research may cause difficulty to researchers who will

replicate prior studies and develop knowledge. The objective of nursing theory to research is

to clarify and exemplify how researchers can apply theory in health-related research. (Cohen

& Chehimi, 2007)

Theory in nursing practice is defined as a type of knowledge that improves human

condition by directing better ways of handling problems and it has a specialized goal which is

to improve human health that has to be guided by a system of nursing knowledge that includes

various theories. Theories in clinical nursing has two different ways, first is to formulate

orientations, attitudes and commitments to the fundamental features. Second, is to selectively

address clinical situations to understand and explain approaches to respond requirement of the

clinical situation and carry out nursing care. So nursing theory in practice only means that it is

a goal directed and very important, because it is oriented to helping clients to deal with

problems and issues pertaining to their health both in times of health and illness. (Kim H.,

2012)

Fawcett (1978) asserted that nursing theory has an important part to education as it

prepares students who wants to be a scientist or proceed to any medical field to know and

understand the theory as a basis for research and those who are preparing to be practitioner,
IMPORTANCE OF NURSING THEORIES 4

because it requires an understanding of the use of theory. It therefore builds on the work of the

cabinet by proposing a continuum of educational preparation that integrates theory and

research. Placement of theory into curricula and innate theory with research at all levels of

nursing education has the potential to facilitate significant contributions to the discipline and

to professional practice. Through introductory course students acquire understanding of how

different conceptual models define and describe.

Therefore nursing theory contributed a big help in research, education and practice

because these three are cyclical and the practice arena that asks questions and suggests

hypotheses, theory guides conceptualization of the problem and generates researchable

questions, researchers design studies and conduct investigations that develop new theories and

refine extant theories, and practitioners then test the new or refined theories. Thus, the cycle

begins and ends with practice. Practice is the catalyst. Together, practice, theory, and research

define the science of nursing and solidly position nursing as a professional discipline.

Nursing theory is important to help promote further knowledge in the field of nursing.

Though other theories may differ gives confusions to nurses, but they are all intended to convey

more knowledge to the nurses or all the health care providers. Nursing theory is meant to form

the basis of practice, because they lay down the foundation and provide framework upon which

training is based upon. It is also important to bring out some ideas and concepts that will

absolutely help the students in their training process. Nursing theories plays a vital role in

establishing professionalism in nursing by providing a different kind of approach to health care

and treatment. In addition, nursing theory also creates a boundary between and nursing. They

help define nurse’s role in the hospital, medical field or medial practice. It also reinforce

nursing practices as they are the ones who provided education that is required in the treatment

and care of the patients. They helped nurses to fully understand why a procedures is carried out

in a certain manner and helps the students to react in an appropriate manner specially in facing
IMPORTANCE OF NURSING THEORIES 5

particular situation, because in providing the education that is needed, the nurses will be able

to implement the actual practices that their nursing role needs them to undertake (Parker and

Smith, 2010)
IMPORTANCE OF NURSING THEORIES 6

References

Lor, M. & Lauver, D. (2017) How could Nurse Researchers Apply Theory to Generate

Knowledge more Efficiently: Journal of Nursing Scholarship 49:5, 580–589. doi:

10.1111/jnu.12316

Kim, H. (2012) The Role of Theory in Clinical Nursing Practice: Research Gate (2):16-29

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236608232_The_role_of_theory_in_clinical

_nursing_practice

LutjenS, L. & Horan, M. (1992) Nursing Theory in Nursing Education: An Educational

Imperative: Journal of Nursing Practice 8(5), p. 276-281 doi.org/10.1016/8755-7223

(92)90053-2