Orem’s Theory and Family Health Nursing Essay

In the presentation of a theoretical discussion on the concept of self care with particular considerations for family nursing practice, the concept of self-care is mainly known in Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory of nursing. Orem’s theory views the individual as a self-care agent with unique needs which will affect family health thereby providing support that health education and evaluation is the main role of nurses (Cody, 2006:308). Nurses according to Cody believes that family models complement the nursing models to provide a more holistic and comprehensive perspective of clients and their concerns (2006:308). Orem’s theory has therefore a clinical applicability at home in the growing demand for home-based health nursing services. The theory has provided that practice will be grounded in evidence–based clinical knowledge and skills within the framework of family, home and community concepts (Orem, 2001:2). Likewise, as self–care has been introduced and incorporated into the practice of community health a provision has included the provision of care to families and other healthcare givers while giving utmost concern to the individual needs of patients and clients. Ali analyzed distinct models presented in 1990 which included Orem’s theory and decided that Orem’s self-care theory should encourage nurses to anticipate the potential problems which include family circumstances in family health planning from which a care plan can be derived (Dolan and Holt, 2000:4). Such findings catapulted into evolution the support for Orem’s theory in the actual process of providing care for the patient and his family and the provision of a health continuum for everyone. Orem’s theory can be used to categorize, understand, predict and alter behavior of both sick and well individuals that is therapeutic in maintaining life and health and in the recovery from disease or injury, or in coping with their effects (Orem, 2001: 82). This presupposes that there is no limit on the provision of care while validating all perceptions that the family is included in the paradigm of care to promote self-care abilities of the patient. We cannot discount the involvement of the family that entirely affects the health status of the individual. A particular example in this case would point to a hospitalized vehicular accident patient where after hospital treatment and rehabilitation is ordered to complete his recovery at home. Completing the period of recovery at home necessitates his re-entry to his normal way of life prior to the accident. The family is therefore enhanced to effectively encourage the patient to attend to his self-care needs while staying on the sidelines yet supportively providing positive encouragement for the patient’s complete recovery. The effective role of nurses is providing family education for the benefit of adjustment to the temporary family role changes. Nurses at the same time bring to light the family models to compensate Orem’s nursing model and provide a more holistic approach to clients and their concerns (Cody, 2006: 308). In this time of cost containment, nurses in a given health care setting cannot lock horns with the Medicare illness models of home care that totally focuses on the individual patient alone (Harris, 2004: 131). Maintaining health is a priority and an ethical requirement for nurses that include the family particularly in home-based care provision, where the absence of one deems the effort â€Å"moot and academic†. The applicability of Orem’s theory in family health is therefore enhanced as community based nursing practice seeks to resolve the responsibility of the patient and family to be included in the nursing care plan (Harris, 2004:132). In the triage system, a problem-oriented approach encompasses assessment levels and Orem’s model can provide a framework for organized family nursing assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation (Dolan and Holt, 2000: 4). Using Orem’s model while negotiating a holistic approach where the family plays an important role is likewise seen in the above example where the family effectively participates in the planning of actions to help the patient effectively cope with his recovery while his self-integrity is maintained or even enhanced. The nurse must therefore include in her assessment the family’s perceptions toward the illness of a family member which is vital in the setting of goals as a means of promoting self-care to the ailing family member. This will pose as a challenge to the nurse as family members individual ideas may vary relative to the patient’s condition. It cannot be ignored that older members of the family may feel overly protected to the patient because of the existing relationship. This challenge can be overcome by the nurse as she effectively provides a choice of promoting Orem’s theory that each family member will comfortably take part with a concise goal of promoting human integrity of structure and functioning (Orem, 2001:522). Likewise, the individual needs of family members should also be looked into as the practice of activities are initiated and performed for the sick member to maintain life and health while promoting a sense of well-being for everyone (Orem, 2001: 43). The family thus plays an important and essential role for the individual patient, whether sick or well which thereby boosts the importance of Orem’s theory in the family health nursing practice. As a helping art for holistic care, family circumstances in family health planning should therefore be included as the derivatives in the formation of a care plan. The individual concepts of each family member will help identify goals while entertaining individual or group limitations that will affect in the implementation and evaluation. A family model is selected for use after the nurse gathers preliminary data about the family and identifies its unique and common patterns (Cody, 2006:308). As an example, Cody cited that a nurse can use Orem’s theory for a 9 year old child affected with ear infection and the mother’s treatment of the child while asserting that other family models will complement Orem’s model to enhance understanding of the family’s structure and functions (2006:308). Orem’s theory therefore provides a common language that enhance improved communication and consistency in the delivery of care while proposing that nurses play a key role in the achievement of self-care for which sophisticated communication skills, teaching skills and specialized knowledge and an awareness of the multiple factors affect the provision of care and enhances the role of the family in the value of health for everyone.