Imogene King's

General Systems
Framework
Mikaela Columna
About Imogene King
About Imogene King
• Born on January 30th, 1923 in West
Point, Iowa.
• Died December 24, 2007 in St.
Petersburg, Florida.
• Received a nursing diploma from St.
John's Hospital School of Nursing
• Received a Master of Science in Nursing
from St. Louis University
• Received a EdD in Nursing
from Columbia University in New York
About Imogene King
• Began coursework towards a
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Education in St. Lous University while
working as a variety of staff nurse
roles
• [1961-1966] Developed a master
degree program in nursing based on
her nursing conceptual framework for
Loyola University in Chicago and
returned in 1972 to become a
professor for the graduate program
About Imogene King
• Elected alderman (US
equivalent of a councilor or
municipality leader) for a 4-
year term in Ward 2 of Wood
Dale, Illinois
• Member of the American
Nurses Association and
Florida Nurses Association
upon her move and later
became the president of it.
About Imogene King
• Described to be as
always there for her
students, faculty and
colleagues—who worked
"round the clock."
• Inducted into the ANA
and the FNA Hall of Fame
in 2004.
About Imogene King
• Her book Toward a theory for
Nursing: General Concepts
of Human Behavior (1971) won the
American Journal of Nursing Book of
the Year award in 1973
• "a systematic representation of
nursing is required ultimately for
developing a science to accompany
a century or more of art in the
everyday world of nursing."
Content of the Theory
Goals of the General
Systems Framework
• Provide an improved approach to
tackling the three subsequent
questions (proposed in her book
Toward a Theory for Nursing:
General Concepts of Human
Behavior)
• "What is the goal of nursing?"
• "What are the functions of nurses?"
• "How can nurses continue to
expand their knowledge to provide
quality care?"
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC.
 Observed that “most studies have centered on
technical aspects of patient care and of the
health care systems rather than on patient
aspects directly. … Few problems have been
stated that begin with what the patient’s
condition demands or what the patient
What sets wants” (in regards to research existing at the
the system time).
Does not focus on "fragmenting human beings
apart and the environment but with human
transactions in different kinds of
environments."
• What it means for nursing: the system is
designed to explain the roles in which
nurses are expected to function
Each of the systems identifies the human being as the basic element
and the “unit of analysis”
Important Principles
• Nursing research and patient care
should be oriented towards the
patient, viewing them as an
individual with intrinsic value and
a unique perspective rather than
just their state of being a patient.
• To individualize the care is to
allow the establishment of a
meaningful relationship between
the nurse and the patient.
Important Principles
Awareness of “the complex
dynamics of human
behavior in nursing
situations” is essential to
advancement of the
profession and the
improvement of patient
care quality.
Metaparadigm
Nursing
Nursing is an interpersonal process
of...
• Action
• Reaction
• Interaction
• Transaction
Perceptions of a nurse and a patient
influence the interpersonal process
and observable behavior found in
the health care systems in society.
Person
Individuals are...
• spiritual beings
• able to record their history and
preserve their culture through
language and other symbols
• Unique, holistic, of intrinsic worth,
and are capable of rational thinking
and decision-making in most
situations
• differ in their needs, wants, and goals
Health
• A dynamic state in the life cycle
• Illness interferes with that
process
• Requires "continuous
adjustment to stress in the
internal and external
environment through the
optimum use of one's resources
to achieve the maximum
potential for daily living" (King,
1981)
Environment
Understanding the ways humans interact with their
environment is essential for nurses as interactions
between patient-nurse and patient-
environment happen constantly

"Adjustments to life and health are influenced by [an]

individual's interaction with environment... Each
human being perceived the world as a total person in
making transactions with individuals and things in the
environment"
Model
It is notable how close the relationship is
between the nursing process and the systems
due to the nature of the profession as the
focus of the system is the interpersonal
relationship between the nurse and the
patient.

Mutual benefit from interactions is the basis

of an appropriate and healthy patient-nurse
relationship.
Acceptance by the
community
Practice
King’s general systems framework
has been implemented in many
settings—both on a national and
international scale
• Nurses are trained to perceive the
patient's unique set of goals and
struggles
• and are therefore able to
prescribe the appropriate coping
strategies / treatments
Education
King’s conceptual systems have
been used to design and improve
existing curriculums, simulations
and mentoring strategies at both
a national and international scale
as well in places such as Sweden
(Rooke) and Portugal (Bello)--or
in nursing
curriculum development and
practical application at Ohio
State University (to name a few).
Research
Many researchers have used King’s work as a
theoretical basis as her systems have
generated a new way of thinking about how
to advance nursing. For example...
• In Bangalore, researchers studied the
effectiveness of laugh therapy versus
meditation on stress and anxiety of
nursing students using King’s framework.
• In Korea, King’s systems framework was
used as a lens to study ways to promote
parent participation in clinical activities in
a neonatal intensive care unit which had
impacts on how nurses communicated and
showed respect to their patients.
Research
Many middle range theories were
developed using her conceptual
system, such as Killeen’s theory of
patient satisfaction with
professional nursing care.

Others use the conceptual system

in either qualitative or quantitative
research such as the examples
listed in the previous slide
Imogene King's
Goal Attainment
Theory
Mikaela Columna
Content of the Theory
 Mutual Goal Setting
and Attainment

• "Mutual goal setting [between a nurse

and a client] is based on...
• (a) The nurses' assessment of a
client's concerns, problems and
disturbances in health
• (b) nurses' and clients' perceptions
of the interference and;
• (c) their sharing of information
whereby each functions to help the
client attain the goals identified"
Mutual Goal Setting
and Attainment
The nurse and the patient
cooperate in
communicating
information, set goals
together and then take
actions to achieve those
goals.
Content of the Theory

In addition, nurses may

also interact with family
members when clients
cannot verbally
participate in the goal
setting.
Propositions Within King's
theory of Goal Attainment (I)
1. If perceptual congruence is present in interactions,
transactions will occur
2. If nurse and client make transactions, goals will be attained
3. If goals are attained, satisfaction will occur
4. If goals are attained, effective nursing care will occur
Propositions Within King's
theory of Goal Attainment (II)
1. If transactions are made in nurse-client interactions, growth and
development will be enhanced
2. If role expectations and role performance as perceived by nurse and client
are congruent, transactions will occur
3. If role conflict is experienced by nurse or client or both, stress in nurse-
client interactions will occur
4. If nurses with special knowledge and skills communicate appropriate
information to clients, mutual goal setting and attainment will occur
 Imogene King | Obituary | times tribune. (n.d.).
https://obituaries.thetimestribune.com/obitu
ary/imogene-king-890239562

Martha Raile Alligood. (2021). Nursing Theorists

References
and Their Work (10th ed.). Mosby.

Park, B.-M. (2021, June 9). Effects of nurse-led

intervention programs based on goal
attainment theory: A systematic review and
meta-analysis. Healthcare (Basel,
Switzerland). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p
mc/articles/PMC8229705/