Theory
The theory era began with a strong emphasis on knowledge development. Although in the previous two
decades proponents of nursing theory and nursing theorists had begun to publish their works, it is
noteworthy t
...
Theory
The theory era began with a strong emphasis on knowledge development. Although in the previous two
decades proponents of nursing theory and nursing theorists had begun to publish their works, it is
noteworthy that they denied being theorists when they were introduced as such at the 1978 Nurse
Educator Conference in New York with the Nursing Theory theme. There was understanding among those
attending the conference that the presenters were theorists, and by the second day, the audience
responded to their denials with laughter. This seems strange today, but this was the first time most of the
theorists even met each other. Their works had grown out of content organization in nursing education
courses, nursing practice administration in large agencies, and structures for the thought and action of
practice. It was clear that their works were nursing theoretical structures even before they recognized
them as such. The theory era, coupled with the research and graduate education eras, led to
understanding of the scientific process beyond production of a scientific product Theory forms the
foundation of knowledge. Nursing theories form the foundation of nursing practice, research, and
education. Throughout your professional life, you will be applying theory and the knowledge derived from
theory in your practice environment regardless of the setting. An understanding of the nature of nursing
knowledge from a historical perspective will help you relate better to where nursing theory development
is today.
The new millennium has witnessed a rapid change in the global healthcare arena. This profession is
continually evolving to face the monumental changes that have emerged. In the past, nursing theories
were taught strictly from an academic point of view. Those in practice saw little connection or integration
of theory and practice. However, the contemporary move toward evidence-based practice has seen
nursing professionals applying theory to describe, predict, and prescribe nursing practice.
Relevance to Present and Future
Theories are a refle
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