Theory of Self Care
Introduction
Developed by Dorothea Orem, between 1959 and 2001, self-care theory in nursing is taken as the grand nursing theory covering a broad scope and practices that apply to almost all healthcare practices.
The Framework of Self-Care Theory
Self-care theory emphasizes the performance of exercises that people engage in to maintain their life, wellbeing, and health. It presents universal self-care basics such as adequate intake of food, water, and air, balancing between engagements and rest, maintaining a balance between loneliness and social life, prevention of dangers, developmental self-care fundamentals, and health nonconformity self-care conditions.
Example of How Other Applications of This Theory May Occur In Dialysis Nursing Practice
Patients undergoing dialysis face stressful challenges, including changes in sexual functionality, social isolation, and dependency on others to make a living, low self-esteem, mental pressures, and fatal threat. Regarding these psychological and physical problems, these patients do not have full self-care abilities.
To enhance self-image, nurses offer psychological support through guidance and counseling the patients. Nurses also assist the patients in self-care issues in achieving identified and described health-related problems. Nurses also advise the patients on special diets and abstain from heavy jobs or assignments. The kinds of diets advised vary depending on the type of dialysis one is diagnosed with. The patients are also encouraged to seek and secure suitable medical help. In kidney transplanting cases, nurses always ensure that the client fully recovers from the surgery in a post-anesthesia care unit. All actions are etiologically directed.