¶ … Walker and Avant method
The concept chosen is The Helping Art of Clinical Nursing by Ernestine Wiedenbach. The theory consists of four main elements namely a philosophy, a practice, a purpose, and the art. The main concepts of this theory are identifying a patient's need using observation of the symptoms and behaviors, exploring the meaning of these symptoms together with the patient, determining what is causing discomfort, and establishing the patient's ability to resolve the discomfort. A nurse should be able to identify a patient's need for help. If the patient's need for helps calls for an intervention, then the nurse should facilitate a plan for medical care (Walker & Avant, 2005). The nurse should also create and implement the nursing care plan based on the wants and needs of the patient. When offering care, the nurse should exercise sound judgment by using practiced, deliberative, and educated symptom recognition. This would ensure that the nurse can offer the best care possible to the patient, and they would not neglect anything. When providing competent care, the nurse should also incorporate the patient's perception of the situation, which is a vital consideration for the nurse. Understanding the needs of the patient and concerns is vital in order to deliver quality care to the patients. This concept encourages that nurse pay close attention to the needs and desires of the patient, which would be beneficial to the nurse and the patient. The basic nursing purpose is identifying the patient's need for help. Using interaction and nursing action, a nurse would be able to identify the patient's need, which is the key concept of the Wiedenbach's theory. The behaviors presented by the patient would guide a nurse to establish the best care to offer the patient (Dugger, 2010).
Rationale for use of the theory
There is little ambiguity in the usage of the theory. It is basic knowledge that a nurse should be able...
Using such observations the nurse would establish early what might be ailing the patient. The purpose that the nurse wants to accomplish by practicing nursing will determine how he or she accomplishes the goal of helping patients. The nurse must be consistent and deliver the same care to all their patients. The philosophy of the concept is that the attitude a nurse has would have an effect on how they perform their role (Mikkelsen & Frederiksen, 2011). Having an attitude towards life and reality would guide the nurses thinking in regards to what he or she is doing and would also influence her decisions. Each nurse has their own code of conduct and beliefs that motivate them to act when dealing with a patient. For an effective practice, the nurse would make use of their judgment, skills, and knowledge to treat and diagnose a patient. To offer proper and effective care, the nurse must be able to identify, validate, and administer the correct care to the patient.
Antecedents
According to Walker and Avant (2005), antecedents are the events that should take place before the concept occurs. The antecedents of this concept are a patient visiting the hospital or care facility with complications or visible symptoms. The patient should also have the capability to express what they are feeling and willing to speak about their ailment with a nurse. Having the ability to demonstrate the kind of care the patient wants and desires is also an additional antecedent of the concept.
The defining attributes of the theory
The heart of analyzing a concept are the defining attributes (Morgan & Yoder, 2012). These attributes are not static, and they will change as time passes. When different people view the theory, they will establish different defining attributes and perspectives. The theory is mainly focused on helping the patients. Help is…
