Nursing Theories: Role in Medical Healthcare

Nursing Theories
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Nursing Theories
Nursing theories play an important role in shaping patient care delivery. Two key middle-range theories are Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations and Kolcaba’s comfort theory. In Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations, nursing is considered a therapeutic and interpersonal process that occurs when healthcare professionals engage in therapeutic relationships with patients (Hagerty et al., 2017). On the other hand, Kolcaba’s comfort theory focuses on attaining comfort needs that include relief, ease, and transcendence (Puchi et al., 2018). Therefore, while the goal of the former is to develop a fulfilling therapeutic relationship with the patient, the latter seeks to fulfill the comfort needs of the patient.
According to Peplau’s theory, a successful nurse-patient relationship has to go through three phases: orientation, working, and termination (Hagerty et al., 2017). As per the theory, nurses should greet patients with positive interest and respect in the orientation phase, and carry forth with courtesy throughout the remaining phases. In ...