Dann Michel M.

Capuyan August 24, 2022

BSN-1C

The Utilization of Different Nursing Theories Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Carolyn Javis once said, “The character of a nurse is as important as the

knowledge he or she possesses." Through different ages, nursing theory has aided

nurses in comprehending their patients, their requirements, and helped to set nursing

apart from medicine and related fields (Ohio University, 2021). Right now, our world is

facing a global pandemic due to COVID-19 and in order to properly respond to the

sudden demands coming from COVID-19, global health, on par with the uniqueness of

each nation's health systems, necessitates the careful reorganization of the care

network, development of clinical protocols, advancement of scientific studies, and

professional training (Almeida, et al., 2020).

According to Regis College in the year 2021, Nursing theories are structured,

knowledge-based notions that fundamentally outline the parameters of nursing practice.

Nursing theories offer various templates to assist nurses in giving care that respects

patients and enhances results. These ideas seek to clarify the complex, dynamic

interaction that nurses have with their field by recognizing the intersection of nursing,

patients, health, and the environment (Ohio University, 2021). For example, through

wars and pandemics, nursing has changed. Nightingale was influenced by the Crimean

War to develop modern nursing theory. Her environmental philosophy transformed

public health and resulted in numerous lives being saved. With the ongoing pandemic,

all nurses have a little of Florence Nightingale in them, laboring under intense pressure

to meet the requirements of the people (Kaur, 2021). Other than Florence Nightingale,

we have other nursing theories that can be of great help in the COVID 19 pandemic, like

Leininger’s Culture Care Theory, which emphasizes delivering care in accordance with

a patient's cultural ideas, values, and needs. (Duquesne University, 2020). By

embracing Leininger’s culture care theory, nurses can provide care with transcultural

understanding, sometimes performing rituals, praying with the patient, while connected

with their families on the phone/video, and providing holistic care. During an unrelenting
global pandemic, nurses have promoted transformational changes to sustain and

preserve human dignity (Kaur, 2021). Another nursing theory that can be applied in the

current global pandemic is the Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory. The Self-Care Nursing

Theory, also known as the Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory, was developed by

Dorothea Orem and focuses on the nurses' support of the patients' capacity for

self-sufficiency and responsibility for their own care (Duquesne University School of

Nursing, 2020). In terms of nursing care for the COVID-19 pandemic, relating it to the

potential stages that the patient may be in, the professional manages to be introduced

in a variety of scenarios, ranging from community prevention guidelines to COVID-19, to

high complexity assistance, in cases where the disease worsens (Almeida, et al., 2020).

More than 50% of healthcare and allied professions are nurses, and they often work in

harsh conditions to save lives. The fact that they spent more time with patients than any

other member of the healthcare team made their function even more crucial especially

now that we are facing a global pandemic (Kaur, 2021).

Furthermore, The current pandemic scenario necessitates scientific attitudes that

are appropriate for coping. In this context, the frontline nurse has nursing theories to

guide their care in a critical, reflective, systematic, and comprehensive manner. There

are nursing theories that can be utilized for various areas in nursing wherein different

methods are applied but all have the same goal which is to help the patients on their

road to recovery. Before nursing theories were fully defined, doctors taught nurses and

they were thought of as a task-oriented occupation. Currently, nursing theory is the

cornerstone of nursing and emphasizes the importance of what nurses know while

considering, acting, and making decisions amidst the COVID 19 pandemic. To end this

essay I would like to quote a saying from Krissy West that says, “Save one life, you’re a

hero. Save 100 lives, you’re a nurse.”

References:

Ohio University. (2021, October 11). Why Is Nursing Theory Important in Nursing

Education. Retrieved August 20, 2022, from

https://onlinemasters.ohio.edu/blog/why-is-nursing-theory-important/

Udan, J. (2020) Significance of Nursing Theory. Theoretical Foundations in

Nursing, Second Edition, page 18. APA Educational Publishing House.

Regis College. (2021, October 29). What is nursing theory? key concepts for

DNPS. Regis College Online. Retrieved August 22, 2022, from

https://online.regiscollege.edu/blog/what-is-nursing-theory/

Kaur, N. (2021, June 15). Covid-19 through the lens of nursing theories. Nursology.

Retrieved August 21, 2022, from https://nursology.net/2021/07/20/

guest-post-covid-19-through-the-lens-of-nursing-theories/

Duquesne University School of Nursing. (2020, April 29). Nursing theories for nurse

educators: Duquesne University. Duquesne University School of Nursing.

Retrieved August 21, 2022, from

https://onlinenursing.duq.edu/blog/nursing-theories-nurse-educators/

Almeida, I., Lúcio, P., Nascimento, M., and Coura, A. (2020, December 4). Coronavirus

pandemic in light of nursing theories. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem.

Retrieved August 22, 2022, from

https://www.scielo.br/j/reben/a/w6VYMmtGbxkyqW9v4rKTfVy/?lang=en