The Orem’s Model of Nursing

Born in Baltimore in 1914, Dorothea Orem began her nursing career in Washington D.C with a Diploma of nursing in the early years of 1930s.  After the Diploma from the Providence Hospital School of Nursing, she attained her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the Catholic University of America in 1939. In 1946, Orem attained an MSN Ed. from the same institution (Berbiglia & Banfield 2013). Dorothea made significant contributions throughout her professional life which culminated in being awarded Honorary Doctorate of Science from both the Incarnate Word College and Georgetown University in 1976. Orem was rewarded with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the Illinois Wesleyan University in 1988. Her final academic honour was the Doctorate Honoris Causae awarded by the University of Missouri in Columbia in 1998 (Vohs & Baumeister 2016).

 Dorothea was instrumental in publishing the most extensive general theory of nursing with the first edition coming out in 1971 and the latest in 2001. Orem’s model is considered a grand nursing theory since it encompasses a broader scope of ideas that can be practical in many nursing situations. The method considers nursing as the actions that seek to assist others by providing self-care management to achieve or enhance the human functioning at the effectiveness of home level (Berbiglia & Banfield 2013).The theory holds that humans are in constant communication and have a connection to the environment. The model further assumes that people ought to be independent and account for their care and that of others in the community who are in need of care (Orem, 2011). The theory further holds that nursing involves an interaction between two or more people and that one of the critical components of prevention and primary care is meeting universal self- care. To promote self-care behaviours, individuals ought to have substantive knowledge about the potential health problems. Caring for self and dependent care can be learned within the community (Vohs & Baumeister 2016). According to Orem (2011), individuals should initiate and practice activities on their own to maintain their health and well-being.

The primary philosophy of the Orem Model of Nursing is that all patients desire to undertake self-care which facilitates speedy and holistic recuperation. The theory is particularly useful in primary care and rehabilitation and other settings that focus on the independence of the patients.

The theory of care proposed by Orem is classified into 3 sections that are related; self-care, self-care deficit and nursing systems. The universal self-care requisite refers to the needs of all people including such things as air, food, prevention of hazard, and activity and rest (Orem, 2011). The category is also concerned with the developmental processes such as fitting into a new job and health divergence of independent care which specify the needs that result from the condition of the patent. Failure to achieve the self-care provisions leads to a self-care deficit (Acosta, 2011). During this phase, nursing intervention is necessitated when a mature individual is limited or incapable of providing adequate care for the self or the dependents under his or her care. Orem (2011) specifies such methods of assisting as supporting and guiding others, teaching others, acting for others and promoting an environment that will enhance the meeting of future demands as being crucial during the intervention. In the nursing systems’ theory, Orem considers how the nurse, the patient or both will attain the requirements for self care of the patient Vohs & Baumeister 2016). The 3 categories of nursing systems that will help achieve the self-care needs of the patients include a total compensation, partial compensation and supportive educative systems (Berbiglia & Banfield 2013).

The application of Orem’s Model of Nursing is critical to the nursing profession as it can be easily applied to diverse patients and situations. The principles and concepts advanced by the theory are general which means that their adaptation to different settings can be achieved with ease (Acosta, 2011; Vohs & Baumeister 2016). Besides, the patients and the nurses can incorporate this theory by working as a team to ensure that the best possible care is provided to the patients who are also empowered to can carry out self-care. Moreover, the application of the Orem’s nursing theory to the modern helps the nurses to care for the patients during hospitalization and aid them make smooth transitions from full-time care facilities and hospitals to their homes.

In conclusion, the theoretical assertion of Dorothea Orem encompasses all aspects concerning the health of patients, the nursing intervention and all factors that impact the well-being of persons. The central concepts coming out of the theory revolve around self-care. The ability of the patient to care for themselves and the dependents and others in the environment where they live is a core idea in Orem’s model. The theory further holds that individuals can achieve a state of health if they have significant knowledge and resources to carry out self-care activities to mitigate the self-care deficits. Failure to meet the self-care requisites results in deficits that require the intervention of nursing using the nursing systems which are also empowered by the relationship that exists between the nurse and the patient. Credit must be given to Dorothea Orem for her exceptional career and commitment to nursing and her achievements in the field for providing guidelines that have impacted the profession in significant ways.

References

Acosta, M. P. (2011). Exploring the general theory of nursing Orem. Revista de Enfermería Neurológica, 10(3), 163-167.

Berbiglia, V. A., & Banfield, B. (2013). Self-care deficit theory of nursing. Nursing Theorists and Their Work-E-Book, 30(1), 240.

Orem, D. E. (2011). The self-care deficit nursing theory. Nursing Theories: The Base for Professional Nursing Practice, 6/e, 113.

Vohs, K. D., & Baumeister, R. F. (Eds.). (2016). Handbook of self-regulation: Research, theory, and applications. Guilford Publications.