Importance of Nursing Theory

Nursing theory is an organized framework of concepts and purposes designed to guide the practice of nursing. McEwen (2014) states “that theory helps to offer structure and organization to nursing knowledge and provides a systematic way of collecting data to describe, explain, and predict nursing practice”. I, personally, have not had a lot of experience working with theories. However, since beginning my studies I have learned the value of using theory in our daily lives as a nurse. One of the biggest challenges in nursing education is the ability to develop culturally sensitive nurses. For this reason, I have chosen to write about the Transcultural Nursing Theory, also known as the Cultural Care Theory. This is a practice theory that began in the mid 1960’s by Madeleine Leininger. This paper will discuss what the theory is, its standards and why it’s important to the healthcare field. Importance of Nursing Theory Theory is of value to nursing. It can influence the practice of the healthcare field. Continued theory development is essential for our progress as a profession. Here are some ways theories are important as stated by McEwen (2014): •Identifies certain standards for nursing practice •Identifies settings in which nursing practice should occur and the characteristics of what •Identifies distinctive nursing processes and technologies to be used •Directs the delivery of nursing services •Serves the basis for clinical information systems •Guides the development of client classification systems •Directs quality assurance programs Theories are known to help nursing knowledge by offering structure and organization and by providing a means of collecting data to describe, explain and predict nursing practice (CCN, 2015).