Middle Range Nursing Theories

Nursing is an advanced and evolving profession that requires knowledge which may be gained through evidence-based research, theories, clinical practice, and continuing education. Nursing knowledge is the foundation to provide patients with high-quality care to produce optimal outcomes. Knowledge development in nursing is centered around the care of patients, families, and the community. Knowing and understanding specific patient and patient populations is an essential consideration during the process of developing nursing knowledge. Mantzorou and Mastrogiannis (2011) analyze Carper’s Patterns of Knowing which include four patterns: empirics, aesthetics, ethics and personal knowing. Theories may also guide nursing knowledge to convey ideas

Since the beginning of the 21st century, middle range theories have been developed to advance and enhance the quality of care to patients. There are several tools and structures that are necessary to incorporate and develop middle range theories. The process of middle range theory initiates with clinical observation within a group of patients receiving care and need to acquire a new role in their care. As per Meleis, acquiring a new role will lessen the possibility of becoming ill and further supports a change into a healthy lifestyle. In the event, a patient does not meet the expectation of ”the new role” than preliminary research is done to determine and differentiate insufficiencies in the process of acquiring change. In order to proceed, concepts need to be developed based on nursing practice and interventions. Thorough research is done to test and verify if the concept(s) applied was successful. Further research is done to identify any gaps or the need to investigate further a particular concept. Furthermore, a compilation of detailed research and reviews of outcomes are analyzed, compared, resembled and incorporated into the research. The process is finalized by reporting the research, outcome and theory at its different

Descriptive theories describe occurrences by recognizing properties, components, and conditions to interpret and hypothesize the cause of the occurrence (Meleis, 2018). Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, and Piaget’s stages of cognitive development are examples of descriptive theories. These theories are designed to gain the understanding of different stages of human development. Establishing awareness of the foundation of human development through observation and analysis contributes to knowledge development in nursing. Descriptive theories allow nurses to gain knowledge of benchmarks observed during normal occurrences. Understanding the components of a normal occurrence gives nurses a strong foundation to assess patients and identify concerns or abnormal