Self Care Deficit Theory Paper

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Are concepts theoretically and operationally defined?

Smith and Parker (2015) described the concepts of the Self Care Deficit Theory as: “self care, self care agency, therapeutic self care demand, self care deficit, nursing agency, and nursing systems” (p. 109). These concepts are thoroughly discussed and the theoretical and operational definitions are presented throughout the theory.
Self-care in general is the ability of a person to maintain basic needs required to sustain life. These basic needs are described by Orem as air, water, food, elimination, activity and rest, social interactions, prevention of hazards, and promotions of human functioning (Self Care Deficit Theory, n.d.). Self-care agency describes the ability of a person to meet these basic care needs. The concept of self-care agency is dependent on the individual in question. Factors that influence ability of self-care are biological, environmental and situational. An elderly person with multiple co morbidities requires a higher level of self-care than a person who has no significant health history or debility. Independent self-care is a deliberate action that requires compliance and the …show more content…

At some point in life there will be a time where one cannot independently provided self-care needs. A deficit of self-care is likely due to health debility and requires interventions set by nursing professionals. The need for nursing care arises when those who cannot do for themselves exist. The nursing agency and nursing systems is the knowledge required to practice nursing and the ability to apply knowledge to better patient outcomes. Nurses practice this daily by evaluating patient needs and setting short and long term goals for patients. Each of these concepts applies to the nursing process and can be theorized about extensively due to the ability to apply this theory and the concepts to a wide variety of patient

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