How does the nursing metaparadigm impact the implementation of culturally proficient nursing care?
Each professional discipline has a responsibility to identify concepts that provide a general description of the discipline. It is these concepts that comprise the profession’s metaparadigm (Fawcett, 1984). Much of the philosophy and theory of nursing stems from the work of Florence Nightingale. The Nursing Metaparadigm Essay Paper The diaries, letters, and books that she left behind containing her statements and beliefs have been fundamental to the development of the concepts comprising the nursing metaparadigm (Selanders, 2010). Fawcett’s (1984) stated there was a general consensus among scholars that the concepts of nursing were person, environment, health, and nursing. Some researchers have suggested that other concepts should be added to the nursing metaparadigm. For…show more content…
It was then that I then realized what it was that I had been missing was the fact this lady was taken out of her environment and away from her culture, which is very family oriented. Health Like the other metaparadigm concepts, health is also quite general. Health does not deal with well being in a strictly clinical manner.The Nursing Metaparadigm Essay Paper The concept of health must include an individual’s physical, mental and social well being. A person’s health must be seen as relative, as it range is quite broad, as it goes from a high level of wellness to terminally ill (Fawcett, 1996). “A person does not need to be disease free to be healthy; rather one must simply maximize optimal potential to be in a healthy state” (Selanders, 2010, p. 85). It is the responsibility of nurses to identify where the patient’s health may be on that scale and to take steps to improve their health. For example, patients of mine who are being treated for some type of cancer may consider a healthy day as one where pain decreases or the nausea and vomiting subsides. These symptoms would not be used to measure good health for someone not afflicted by such illnesses. I have often started patients on patient controlled analgesia pumps, as ordered by their physician. I recall one patient who stated her pain had decreased from 10/10 to 5/10. I told her that with dose adjustment by the physician, we should be The Nursing Metaparadigm Essay Paper
A metaparadigm is an overarching framework that provides a comprehensive perspective of a discipline. In nursing, this framework serves to distinguish the profession intellectually, comprising of four concepts which provide a foundation to the content and context of nursing theory and scope of practice (Lee & Fawcett, 2013; Masters, 2014; Schim, Benkert, Bell, Walker, & Danford, 2007). Namely, these foundational concepts are: person, environment, health, and nursing. Hence, the intent of this essay is to describe the four main concepts that make up nursing’s metaparadigm and discuss how they are used in practice, education and research.
The concept of person refers to the recipient of nursing care, such that no person is the object of care and no aspect of wellbeing is left out (Arnold & Boggs, 2001; Thorne, Canam, Dahinten, Hall, Henderson, & Kirkham, 1998). This not only includes disease and illness states, but also psychological, social and spiritual dimensions. Therefore, factors such as gender, lifestyle, behaviors, beliefs, values, coping skills, habits, perceptions and lived experiences are considered (Arnold & Boggs, 2011). This holistic and multi-centered approach also extends to families, communities, and populations (Schim et al., 2007). The concept of person is central to nursing theory and research, and is fundamental to the, “Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses,” as outlined by the Canadian Nurses Association (2008). In practice, ‘person’ is used to guide client teaching and nursing interventions (Kozier, Berman, Snyder, Buck, Yiu, & Stamler, 2014).The Nursing Metaparadigm Essay Paper
Environment
Environment refers to the internal and external context or setting of a person’s social experience (Arnold & Boggs, 2001; Kozier et al., 2014). This consists of physical, psychological, social, cultural, historical, political and economic dimensions; thus, person and environment are fundamentally intertwined (Arnold & Boggs, 2011; Schim et al., 2007; Thorne et al., 1998). The notion of environment is multilayered and constructed, therefore, constantly changing, distinctly serving to shape a person’s health (Thorne et al., 1998). The concept of environment is foundational to the, “Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts,” and in practice, helps the nurse describe, explain, and predict health outcomes and their context (Kozier et al., 2014; Mikkonen &Raphael, 2010).The Nursing Metaparadigm Essay Paper
Health
The notion of health is contextual and an interactive, dynamic process between person and environment (Schim et al, 2007). Both wellness and illness are conceptualized by the ‘person’, existing on a continuum across the lifespan (Arnold & Boggs, 2001). The Nursing Metaparadigm Essay Paper
Environment
Environment refers to the internal and external context or setting of a person’s social experience (Arnold & Boggs, 2001; Kozier et al., 2014). This consists of physical, psychological, social, cultural, historical, political and economic dimensions; thus, person and environment are fundamentally intertwined (Arnold & Boggs, 2011; Schim et al., 2007; Thorne et al., 1998). The notion of environment is multilayered and constructed, therefore, constantly changing, distinctly serving to shape a person’s health (Thorne et al., 1998). The concept of environment is foundational to the, “Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts,” and in practice, helps the nurse describe, explain, and predict health outcomes and their context (Kozier et al., 2014; Mikkonen &Raphael, 2010).The Nursing Metaparadigm Essay Paper
Health
The notion of health is contextual and an interactive, dynamic process between person and environment (Schim et al, 2007). Both wellness and illness are conceptualized by the ‘person’, existing on a continuum across the lifespan (Arnold & Boggs, 2001). The Nursing Metaparadigm Essay Paper