Pajnkihar et al. (2017) discuss the Watson’s theory of caring and reports that the model asserts that nursing care involves the promotion of health, health restoration, illness prevention and caring for the ill. The theory majorly supports the concept of caring as an ethical ideal in nursing. On the other hand, the Orem Theory advances nursing care through the self-care, self-care deficit and nursing process theory (Afrasiabifar et al. 2016). The theory also advances the concept of patient care as an important humanistic value.
The two concepts are similar in that they support patient care. Watson theory regards patient care as an ethical nursing process that helps to preserve human dignity. Through patient care, the nurse protects and enhances the wellbeing of patients. Care is offered by assisting the patient in finding balance, recovering from illness, and gaining self-knowledge. The Orem Theory supports patient care by providing the patient with a supportive education framework that enables health decision making.
The concepts are different in that the Watson theory involves the integration of many complex ideas. It combines the idea of spirituality, morality, and humanity. On the other hand, Orem theory does not involve complex ideas and is only concerned with self-care, self-care deficit, and process of nursing.
The different definitions of a concept can lead a reader to have a different understanding from that intended by the theory developer. The daily usage of terms used to define concepts tends to have a different meaning from that used in theory. Therefore it is important for a reader to first obtain the definition of concepts as explained by the theory developer.