Introduction
The philosophy of nursing is a system of ideas and views of the world from the position of a nurse. It reflects the nursing’s worldview concerning the activities, social environment, development, and improvement of a personality and professional competence. The central link of this philosophy is undoubtedly the patient with all his/her needs – biological, psychological, social, spiritual, or rather – the patient’s personality. The basic principles of the philosophy of nursing are respect for the life, dignity, and rights of the patient. The paper will present the main meta-paradigms of nursing, their understanding by the author, and the theories suitable for the described philosophy.
Influences on the Development of Personal Philosophy
Even in the recent past, the essence of nursing was the exact implementation of the doctor’s instructions. The actual understanding of nursing is the presentation of the image and personality of the sister as an active, equal participant in the treatment process. Nursing is an independent profession with sufficient potential to become on par with the medical profession. From this, it is clear that the functions of a nurse are much broader than following a doctor’s instructions. It is entrusted with the primary responsibilities of patient care, disease prevention, health preservation, rehabilitation, and alleviation of suffering. A highly qualified nurse practitioner must have sufficient knowledge, skills, and confidence to plan, implement and evaluate care that meets the individual patient’s needs (Sweeney et al., 2020). At the same time, particular emphasis is placed on the unique contribution of diabetes to the recovery of patients.
The main principles of nursing philosophy are respect for life, dignity, and human rights. As part of health care, I believe in the sacred gift of life. In this regard, we consider each person as a whole with its internal possibilities for growth and development, physical, philosophical, social, cultural, intellectual, and spiritual. In general, I believe that implementing the principles of the nursing philosophy depends on the interaction of the sister and society. First, this influences the development of my philosophy of nursing. These include the sister’s responsibility to society, including the patient, and society’s responsibility to the sister. Society recognizes the vital role of nursing in the health care system and regulates and encourages it through the issuance of legislative acts.
Metaparadigms of Nursing
The philosophy of nursing is based on four fundamental concepts (paradigms):
- patient (person)
- nursing
- environment and society
- health
The concept of personality occupies a special place in philosophy and is also essential for nursing. A patient is a person (individual) who needs and receives nursing care. Human is a unity of biological, psychological, social, and spiritual components. Each person must be respected, and the nurse must be ready to deal with any patient and respect his/her past and present life values, customs and beliefs.
Nursing is a part of medical health care, a specific professional activity, science, and art aimed at solving existing and potential health problems in a changing environment. That is, it takes into account the totality of natural, social, psychological, and spiritual factors and indicators that affect a person’s activity and the state of their health. As defined by the WHO, this includes a complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (Health and well-being). Health is a dynamic (mobile) harmony of the individual with the environment, achieved through adaptation.
In general, we can say that a person is a holistic, dynamic self-regulating biological system, a set of physiological, psychosocial, and spiritual needs. Satisfaction determines the growth, development, and merging with the environment, that is, the harmony of the individual with the environment. At this time, a sister is a specialist with a professional educator who shares the philosophy of nursing and has the right to nursing work. That is achieved through adaptation, and the mode of implementation is nursing.
Adaptation Model of Nursing
The evolutionary-adaptation model considers the patient as an individual. The patient’s problems are the present or forthcoming changes in life, especially during critical periods, which negatively impact the state of health (Gonzalo, 2021). The nurse’s priority is to help the patient achieve and maintain an optimal level of health during critical periods of life. Nurse interventions include the use of various ways to stimulate the patient.
This model should apply to the needs of patients, their families, and society, providing nurses with a wide range of roles and functions to work with sick and dying patients and the healthy population. I chose this theory as the most intersects with my nursing philosophy. First, the focus is on the patient and his/her characteristics, for example, the environment, which affects people differently (Gonzalo, 2021). Therefore, despite the general tasks of a nurse, each patient is considered an individual, which influences the choice of care model and stimulates the health of patients from different aspects.
Roy’s adaptation model considers the patient as a person who is in constant interaction with the environment and adapts to it using various adaptive methods. Lack of activity (passivity) due to an existing disease is the leading cause of problems (Gonzalo, 2021). In this case, the nurse acts as a teacher-organizer who teaches the patient to adapt to the environment during illness. According to this theory, the health worker should use various ways to stimulate the patient to learn to adapt to an environment (Gonzalo, 2021). It results from the adequate perception of the applied incentives and an increase in the level of health due to satisfaction.
The nursing theorist has the right to choose one of the presented areas of nurse responsibility. Models of nursing care reflect the existing reality and provide an opportunity to compare different nursing concepts for a long time. The theories outlined above focus on the influence of the environment on the human condition. I find this essential in nursing care, as it also considers individual response, that is, the patient as an individual.
Examples of Theory in Personal Philosophy
The nurse should find out what causes the patient’s adaptation problems: focal, situational, or residual stimuli. The nurse will not be able to eliminate the focal irritant, for example, undergoing surgery to remove the breast. However, they will be able to expand a level of adaptation by introducing literature that describes the patient’s situation or by introducing other patients who have already adapted to a similar situation.
If the patient’s problem is related to functional disorders, the nurse determines interventions to change the environment, changing the patient’s motivation. Psychological support and counseling should be planned for the patient to reduce the unjustified fear of walking with crutches. It is essential the support those who have just been sent to recover from significant operations. Communication with the patient and all those involved in treatment and care is special in the recovery process and requires understanding, respect, and faith in the patient. The uniqueness of nursing communication lies in the fact that the patient must believe in kindness and strength, the ability of the nurse to lead the adaptation process.
The nurse finds out what he/she thinks, feels, and what the patient and his/her family need in connection with the upcoming long treatment period. The patient must recognize and use the potential opportunities – their and their family – to develop a plan of action. For example, a patient was admitted to the family planning unit with rape and a desire to have an abortion, accompanied by a mother who was against it. The nurse, together with the patient, determines the problem that he has – the one that caused the hospitalization, as well as the priorities and attitudes of family members to certain areas of activity. The plan should be aimed at solving all the problems identified by the nurse in the process of working primarily with the patient.
Conclusion
The nurse’s area of responsibility is either within the concepts of a ‘person’ (patient), ‘environment,’ or in the sphere of the patient’s relationship with an environment, or the area of the patient’s relationship with the nurse. A nurse using one or another model determines the limits of each person’s adaptation level. That irritant creates problems for one but does not create any problems for another due to its level of adaptation. In adopting a nursing philosophy, a nurse must provide care within certain principles. The main purpose was to define a personal philosophy of nursing, which in my case focuses on the person. The theories and paradigms described in work intersect in many respects, and the focus is on the concept of the patient as an individual. My nursing philosophy is based on a mutual understanding when it is easier for the patient to find oneself, to find new values in the process of adaptation, more correct and positive.
References
Gonzalo, A. (2021). Sister Callista Roy: Adaptation model of nursing. Nurseslabs. Web.
Health and well-being. (n.d.). World Health Organization. Web.