1. Orem’s Self-Care Theory in the Nursing Practice
Timothy Carlson
Martin Isenhart
Alyssa Pechta
Mackenzie Tunney
Ryan Walters
Ferris State University

2. Orem’s Self-Care Theory in the Nursing Practice
Dorothea Orem constructed her Self-Care Theory concept in the late 1950’s
Developed the Self-Care Theory to help encourage individuals to play an active role in their own care (Black, 2014)
Purpose Statement:
Self-Care Theory contributes to positive patient outcomes by:
Utilizing evidence-based practice to improve the quality of care
Understanding the four metaparadigm concepts
Improving health care practices on multiple levels

3. Evidence-Based Practice
Theory in Evidence Based Practice (EBP)
Theory and science are necessary and linked parts (Taylor & Renpenning, 2011)
Foundation for evidence-based practice
Theory offers a framework to guide practice and education
(Murphy, Williams, & Pridmore, 2010)
Theory in nursing includes concepts, methods, and principles
Nursing research validates nursing theory and leads to EBP (Taylor
& Renpenning, 2011)
Provides knowledge for improved practice, guides research and curriculum, and identifies the goals of nursing practice (Stevens, 2013)
Theory-guided, EBP is the hallmark of the nursing profession (Stevens, 2013)

4. Metaparadigm Concepts
Self-Care Theory Metaparadigm:
Nurses should only do for the patients what they cannot do for themselves (Simmons, 2009)
Patients actually want to care for themselves (Simmons, 2009)
Self-Care Theory’s relationship among four concepts:
Person, environment, health, and nursing
Person
Has capacity for self knowledge, learning, and development (Simmons,2009)
Can learn to meet self care needs (Masters, 2013)
Environment
Person and environment are reciprocal (Masters, 2013)
Person is never separate from the environment
Physical, biological, chemical, and social (Masters, 2013)

5. Metaparadigm Concepts
Health
Functions of daily living
Progressive development to a higher level of functioning (Masters, 2013)
Nursing
Assisting patients in the development, delivery, and management of self-care (Simmons, 2009)
Preserve some level of effective functioning (Masters, 2013)
Wholly Compensatory
Partly Compensatory
Supportive Education System
The goal is to let the patient achieve an optimal level of self-care

6. Contemporary Health Care Environment
Self-Care Theory and Improving Health Care
On a local, regional, and global level Orem’s theory provides common language in self-care (Green, 2013)
Local: Increases self-care abilities of the individual (Bhanji, 2012)
Health prevention, promotion, and maintenance (Bhanji, 2012)
Take responsibility
Political agendas: Local, regional, and global
Educating on health promotion, prevention, and maintenance can decrease spending costs to everyone
Flexible framework (Green, 2013)
Community and public health nursing: Local and regional (Green, 2013)

7. References
Bhanji, S.M. (2012). Comparison and contrast of Orem’s self care theory and Roy’s adaption model. Journal of Nursing, 1(1), Retrieved from /images/pdf/journal_nursing/Journal%20of%20Nursing %202012,%20Vol%20%201%20(01)% pdf
Black, B. P. (2014). Professional nursing: Concepts and challenges (7th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Saunders.
Green, R. (2013). Application of the self care deficit nursing theory: The community context. Self-Care, Dependent-Care & Nursing, 20(1), Retrieved from /images/ publication/ journal/Vol20 No01 Spring13.pdf
Masters, K. (2013). Role Development in Professional Nursing Practice (3rd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc. .

8. References
Murphy, F., Williams, A., & Pridmore, J.A. (2010). Nursing models and contemporary nursing 1: Their development, uses, and limitations. Nursing Times, 106(23), Retrieved from nursingtimes.net/Journals/ 2013/01/18/c/m/m/ Practice-in-depth-Nursing-models-and- contemporary-nursing--1--their-development-uses-and-limitations.pdf
Simmons, L. (2009). Dorothea Orem’s self care theory as related to nursing practice in hemodialysis. Nephrology Nursing Journal 36(4), Retrieved from
_ferrissu&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w&asid=5c c420ca90ba70900d3c2ef .

9. References
Stevens, K.R. (2013). The impact of evidence-based practice in nursing and the next big ideas. The online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 18(2). Retrieved from
.org/MainMenu Categories/ANAMarketplace/ ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol /No2-May-2013/Impact-of- Evidence-Based-Practice.html
Taylor, S.G., & Renpenning, K. (2011). Self-care science, nursing theory, and evidence based practice. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company .