The provision of self-care which is therapeutic in sustaining life and health, in recovering from disease or injury, or coping with their effects.
A service to people, not a derivative of medicine.
Nursing promotes the goal of patient self-care.
Orem’s General Theory of Nursing
(3 related theories collectively referred to as “Orem’s General Theory of Nursing”)
1. Self-care Theory: three types of self-care requisites (needs) or categories based on the concepts of:
a. SELF-CARE
- comprises those activities performed independently by an individual to promote and maintain personal well-being throughout life.
b. SELF-CARE AGENCY
- the individual’s ability to perform self-care activities. Consists of TWO agents:
b1. Self-care Agent - person who provides the self-care
b2. Dependent Care Agent - person other than the individual who provides the care (such as a parent)
c. SELF-CARE REQUISITES
- the actions or measures used to provide self-care. Consists of THREE categories:
c1. Universal - requisites/needs that are common to all individuals
c2. Developmental - needs resulting from maturation or develop due to a condition or event
c3. Health Deviation - needs resulting from illness, injury & disease or its treatment
d. THERAPEUTIC SELF-CARE DEMAND
- “Therapeutic self-care demand represents the totality of action required to meet a set of self-care requirements using a set of technologies” (McLaughlin-Renpenning, & Taylor, 2002, p.175)
2. Self-Care Deficit Theory
Five Methods of Assistance
- is the central focus of Orem’s Grand Theory of Nursing
- explains when nursing is needed
- describes and explains how people can be helped through nursing
- results when the Self-care Agency (patient) can’t meet her/his self-care needs or administer self-care
- nursing meets these self-care needs through five methods of help
Five Methods of Nursing Help
-Acting or doing for
-Guiding
-Teaching
-Supporting
-Providing an environment to promote the patient’s ability to meet current or future demands
3. Nursing Systems Theory
- Describes nursing responsibilities, roles of the nurse and patient, rationales for the nurse-patient relationship, and types of actions needed to meet the patient’s demands
- Refers to a series of actions a nurse takes to meet a patient’s self-care needs, is determined by the patient’s self-care needs, is composed of THREE systems:
Wholly compensatory
Partly compensatory
Supportive-educative
