Ada Jamora

Dorothea Orem’s theory speaks about the Self Care Model. Self care deficit is the primary key to her theory because it identifies how much a patient needs a nurse. Nursing care is needed in order for a patient to reach his optimum health.

For me, the theory of nursing systems is very much important because this gives us a picture of the form of nursing and the relationship between patient and the nurse. This model consists of three components: First is the wholly compensatory mechanism where the nurse does everything for the patient. As a nurse in the gynecology ward for almost 16 months now, I’ve had patients who totally depend on nurses for their survival. An example of which is the patient who is intubated. The nurse does everything from turning the patient to sides, giving ample oxygen, suctioning secretions and giving medications.

The second component is the partly compensatory. Here both the nurse and patient perform measures to reach the maximum health of the patient. A patient coming from the PACU after how many hours when the anesthesia wears off, we nurses usually encourage patients to ambulate in order to prevent the postoperative complications. Here, assistance is needed in order for the patient to achieve this task.

The third component which is the supportive-educative system is very much appreciated in our ward. An example of which is the patients who gave birth outside of the hospital. Breastfeeding lectures and immunization schedules are included in the health education for them to give the optimal health the baby deserves.

Indeed, Dorothea Orem’s theory is very practical and is very much applicable not only in the hospital setting but also at home. We give care not only to our patients but primarily to our family as well. As a nurse, one must keep in his heart and mind the principles that this theory upholds.