Beyond the Theory-Practice Gap: the Contribution of Theory in Nursing

Abstract

Mentioning the words ‘theory’ or ‘nursing theory’ to many nurses results in any of a number of reactions ranging from raised eyebrows and facial grimacing, dismissive and or derogatory comments, through to sceptical or cautious interest. For many nurses their experience of theory in nursing has been the exposure to the writing of North American nurse theorists such as Peplau (1952, 1988), Roy (1984) and Orem (1970, 1995). This exposure has usually come during the completion of educational programmes at pre-and post-registration level, and until recently, has focused almost exclusively on being introduced to nursing models and attempting to apply these models to their own area of clinical practice. The application has either been required formally as part of an assignment, or has taken place informally as an exercise in examining ways to improve the nature and organisation of practice in a particular clinical setting. Initial interest in the conceptualisations of nursing expressed by nurse theorists has often been followed by frustration for many clinical nurses as they have been exhorted to ‘use a model of nursing’ in practice but found the model could not adequately support or develop their practice.