I’m working on a nursing discussion question and need guidance to help me learn.
1 paragraph response with intent citation to the following:
Theory, Practice, & Research
Perspectives drawn from different fields reveal a dynamic and complex relationship between theory, practice, and research. The current focus on evidence-based care and the introduction of value-based purchasing requires the incorporation of the three elements into care delivery (Lor et al., 2017). Nurses must understand how theory leads to research and how research provides knowledge that can be used to influence practice outcomes.
The relationship between theory, practice, and research are cyclical and reciprocal. Effective nursing practice requires the application of knowledge, skills, and the art of science to influence patient outcomes. The theory aspect of nursing entails beliefs that provide the lens through which nurses view clients. Theories help to explain the uniqueness of the nursing profession and define the particular contribution of nursing to the care of clients (Utley et al., 2017). An important part of the knowledge used to influence healthcare decisions is generated through research. In the context of nursing, the research develops knowledge that can be used to support health interventions. Research is also used to generate evidence for the theory aspect to prevent the use of outdated information to make key decisions in healthcare.
The survival of the nursing profession is dependent on the application of theory and evidence from research to inform key decisions. Ideally, research findings are used to support nursing theory and further used to develop a protocol that can be followed during patient care. One can argue that the purpose of research is to build knowledge through the generation of theory and testing the theory (Saleh, 2018). Apart from this aspect, there is a linkage between theory and research where researchers are supposed to use a theoretical framework to guide nursing research. The theory is used to guide nursing research by generating hypotheses that can be tested. The relationship between this two is reciprocal because theory helps to guide research while research helps to test theory and generate more knowledge. For this reason, research can be used to reject some theoretical aspects and provide more room for exploration.
The primary purpose of theory and research is to improve practice by positively influencing patient outcomes. The nursing practice represents the interventions made to address the health concerns of patients alongside other important aspects like advocacy and nursing education (Utley et al., 2017). I believe that nursing practice is the basis for the development of nursing theory and research functions to validate the theory. Despite the advancements in nursing today, there exists a gap between practice and theory. For instance, the theory aspect is thought to be the work of educators and scholars rather than those who practice nursing (Saleh, 2018). In some occasions, nursing theory and practice are viewed as two separate entities that must be proven before application.
Nursing research acts as a connection between the theoretical and practical aspects of the profession. The nursing theory constructs must be explained and tested before they can be applied to practice. Perhaps, this is the reason why the relationship between theory and practice is reciprocal. In today’s increasingly complex and competitive healthcare system, nursing practice must be guided by evidence from research (Lor et al., 2017). The best theories in nursing are informed by practice and the best practices are grounded in nursing theory and supported by evidence from nursing research. To keep the reciprocal and cylindrical relationship between the three aspects, nurses must work to bridge the existing gaps. Working together between scholars and practicing nurses can be the best strategy to bridge the gap between nursing theory, research, and practice.
References
Lor, M., Backonja, U., & Lauver, D. R. (2017). How could nurse researchers apply theory to generate knowledge more efficiently?. Journal of Nursing Scholarship : An official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, 49(5), 580–589. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12316
Saleh, U. S. (2018). Theory guided practice in nursing. Journal of Nursing Research and Practice, 2(1), 18. https://m.ztcbaoan.com/scholarly-articles/theory-g…
Utley, R., Kristina Henry, D. N. P., & Smith, L. (2017). Frameworks for advanced nursing practice and research: Philosophies, theories, models, and taxonomies. Springer Publishing Company.
1 paragraph with intent citation to the following:
Interrelationship among theory, practice, and research
The three pillars of nursing are practice, research, and theory. Theory, practice, and research are mutually reinforcing and circular in their relationship. From clinical practice, knowledge is generated for theory and research topics. Our approach is influenced by research, and theory growth furthers our understanding. Theory directs study, enhances application, facilitates research, and enhances practice (Saleh, 2018). Therefore, the three are critical and independent and regarded as the cornerstone of nursing practice.
Research and theory exist interchangeably in advancing science across all disciplines. As such, science is the product of the interaction between the inquiry process, which is research, and the knowledge output, which is theory. The research aims to further knowledge in a field by developing or testing theories in addition to directing nursing practice. Research produces more knowledge and theory; hence the relationship between research and theory is reciprocal. Using theory as a framework to give the research study perspective and direction is essential to the research process. By creating and testing potential phenomena of interest, theory can also be utilized to direct the research process (Saleh, 2018).
Additionally, out-of-theory is where the practice is executed, and out-of-practice theories are derived. However, there exists a gap between theory and practice, and this gap motivated research in a particular field. The difference between the attitudes and motivations of researchers and academics who prioritize and value theory, and practitioners who prioritize and value practicality and action, can then be used to express the theory-practice gap roughly. There are three primary ways that this alleged gap has been perceived. First, it has been viewed as an issue with information transfer, with research and theoretical knowledge not making it into the world of practice. Second, it has also been recognized as an illustration of the distinct ontological status of theoretical and practical knowledge. Third, the lack of co-creation of knowledge by theorists and practitioners has been identified as a concern with the gap related to knowledge production (Pinfield, Wakeling, Bawden, & Robinson, 2021). However, the two always work together for a specific effect in the specific science discipline.
Like all other scientific disciplines, the nursing discipline relies on research, theory, and practice for the profession’s success. The main goal of theory in nursing is to enhance practice by favorably affecting patients’ health and quality of life. Theory and practice are mutually supportive of one another. Nursing theory is developed based on practice, but nursing theory also needs to be validated in practice. Instead of being a preoccupation of working nurses, theory development has traditionally been seen as the purview of nurse educators and academics. Theoretical and practical nursing has always been seen as distinct nursing practices. Before implementing nursing theories in practice, some ideas and constructs must be defined. In addition, knowledge of theory is not a guarantee of excellent practice. Practice frequently develops independently of theory (Saleh, 2018). Therefore, theories and research serve as the framework for practice and are there to support those goals. In addition, the practice raises issues pertaining to theory and research that are regarded as authorities.
References:
Pinfield, S., Wakeling, S., Bawden, D., & Robinson, L. (2021). Theory and practice Relationships and Gaps. In S. Pinfield, S. Wakeling, D. Bawden, & L. Robinson, Open Access in Theory and Practice (pp. 63–74). London and New York: Routledge. Retrieved from Routledge Critical Studies on Open Access: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/3992…
Saleh, U. S. (2018). Theory guided practice in nursing. Journal of Nursing, Research and Pracatice Vol 2: No 1, 1.
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