Importance of Nursing Theories as a Basis for Practice

Abstract

A nursing theory is a set of concepts and principles that define the scientific basis of nursing profession. Nursing theories enhance students understanding of the principles, values, and meanings of nursing profession. In addition, it helps nurses to understand their role in the healthcare setting.. Assess the knowledge of the nursing staff and students at King Fahad bin Abdulaziz Hospital and King Saud bin Abdulaziz University in Riyadh regarding nursing theories. A cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 25 Saudi nursing students, and 25 multi- nationality nursing staff. 48% of the staff believed nursing theories must be linked to the practice settings, while 56% did not know which theories their workplace drew on during care delivery. Moreover, 60% of the students did not know which theoretical model is adopted by their school. Similarly, 40% of the students did not know the importance of linking the theories to practice settings. Lack of theoretical knowledge was found among the participants. To advance the nursing profession it is necessary that hospitals and nursing schools follow a theoretical model, and link theories to practice. A further study with larger sample size might need to be conducted.