Orem's Self-care Theory Research Articles

Implementing cooperative care on an acute care medical unit.

Cooperative care is an approach to nursing care, based on Orem's self-care theory, that encourages patient self-care and family involvement in care giving. Patients and care partners (family members or friends) are taught by staff working on the unit. The model has been successfully implemented on acute care units at institutions across the nation. In March 1990, under the direction of our chief nurse, cooperative care was initiated at Dorn Veterans' Hospital as a part of a research project on a busy acute care medical unit. The model had already been piloted with success on the oncology unit of the institution. The purpose of this article is to describe patient, nursing, and pharmacy involvement during the implementation of cooperative care on a 40-bed acute care unit in a veteran population.

Guillain-Barré syndrome: giving the patient control.

The patient with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) presents a complex clinical picture. Depending on the degree of paralysis, problems with communication can be significant. The patient's inability to express fears, needs and frustrations coupled with the lengthy recovery process makes GBS one of the most difficult diseases for nurses to manage. Nursing interventions, based on Orem's self-care theory, can ease the frustration and feelings of powerlessness a patient with GBS experiences.

Expanded nursing care for contraceptive use

Nursing actions to promote contraceptive self-care are described. Orem's self-care theory was used to develop assessment tools and to plan nursing actions.

Stress on caregivers of the elderly

This article considers the health threats to a vulnerable population, caregivers of the frail elderly who are maintained in the community. A model of competing care demands is derived from Orem's self-care theory and from caregiver literature to propose that the caregiver, when faced with dwindling resources of energy, time, and money, is forced to choose between self-care and dependent care of the elder. Often, the individual neglects his or her own health to continue to give care. The suggested research projects presented here assess those nursing interventions that complement and support caregiving.

Cooperative care: An application of Orem's self-care theory

Cooperative Care provides acute care patients the opportunity to function with maximum autonomy during all or part of their hospitalization. Based on the self-care theory of Orem, it enables patients and their families to have increased participation in the health care process. Nursing care is available but the role is primarily that of educator and skilled observer as the patients and families assume responsibility for activities of daily living. This paper describes the Cooperative Care Unit at the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont (MCHV).

Thoughts about the concepts self-care and self-care agency

In this paper the author presents some aspects of Orem's self-care theory and discusses her views of self-care agency, utilizing a cognitive approach based on Perry's theory of cognitive development. Some studies which offer support to her approach are reviewed.

Orem's self-care theory: a tool for education and practice.

Orem's self-care theory: a tool for education and practice.

Achieving self-care in the ventilator-dependent patient: a critical analysis of a case study

After a 4 month hospitalization, a 41-yr-old woman with multiple sclerosis was discharged to her home with a mechanical ventilator and 24 hr nursing care. The relevance of Orem's Self-Care theory and nursing diagnosis to successful discharge are clearly illustrated through the presentation and analysis of a case study. The compatibility of self-care theory and nursing diagnosis are also discussed. Advancing medical technology and societal mandates for cost containment increasingly confront families with the need to provide sophisticated health care in home settings. Case study analysis not only provides opportunities for clarification and refinement of nursing's role in this developing challenge but also demonstrates the uniqueness and suitability of the nursing discipline for leadership in complex home care management.

Implementation of a self-care approach in a pediatric interdisciplinary phenylketonuria (PKU) clinic.

Abstract A nursing practice framework, Orem's self-care deficit theory, was implemented within an interdisciplinary clinic to encourage greater client involvement in the management of phenylketonuria. Concepts from the literature related to planned change provided guidance in planning, implementing, and evaluating the change from a traditional approach to the self-care mode of client care. The reactions of the client and family and of the interdisciplinary team are discussed.

Applying Orem's Self-Care Theory in Enterostomal Therapy

Applying Orem's Self-Care Theory in Enterostomal Therapy