Application of Theory in Nursing Practice, Research, Management, and Education
Application of Theory in Nursing Practice, Research, Management, and Education
To enhance health outcomes, nursing’s evidence-based practice (EBP) combines patient preferences, clinical knowledge, and research findings (Tappen, 2023). Quality, safety, and efficiency are promoted in various clinical settings through the use of EBP, which guarantees that care delivery is based on the best available evidence. Today’s healthcare system needs new ways to deal with chronic diseases like high blood pressure. These new ways need to mix old-fashioned care methods with new technology. This paper will discuss how theory can be used in nursing practice, research, management, and teaching, focusing on how EBP, theory, and research can all be combined.
Topic and Articles
Hypertension is a common long-term health issue and a significant cause of heart disease and death. Even though there are successful treatments available, many patients still do not have the best control of their blood pressure. This indicates the need for innovative approaches to patient care. Nurse-led interventions are gaining popularity because nurses can help people with chronic diseases by managing, teaching, and following up with them. Miao, Wang, and Liu (2020) performed a randomized controlled experiment in an urban community healthcare environment to assess a nurse-led hypertension management paradigm. Their findings indicated substantial enhancements in blood pressure reduction, patient self-care practices, self-efficacy, and satisfaction relative to standard care. This study highlights the efficacy and practicality of nurse-led care models in enhancing hypertension outcomes in community populations.
Conversely, technology-enhanced care has emerged as a critical domain for investigating hypertension therapy. Baratta et al. (2022) investigated the views of patients and providers regarding telemonitoring for hypertension in the Humanwide pilot program for precision health. The study used semi-structured interviews to show that both patients and healthcare workers thought remote blood pressure monitoring was acceptable, advantageous, and a worthwhile way to support motivation, blood pressure control, and clinical efficiency. However, issues with data integration, eco-friendliness, and tech efficiency must be resolved before they can be widely used. Together, these two studies give complementary insights: Baratta et al. (2022) offer significant perspectives on implementation feasibility, while Miao et al. (2020) provide quantifiable proof of effectiveness in a nurse-led paradigm. By fusing established clinical results with provider- and patient-centered insights, integrating the results from both enhances evidence-based nursing practice.
Theory, Research, and Practice
Although theory, research, and practice in nursing are distinct elements, they work together to develop professional knowledge and guide clinical treatment. Theories are the building blocks of nursing practice. They offer the conceptual frameworks that plan nursing interventions, forecast results, and explain health events. Nurses can better understand patient behavior, care delivery, and the effects of care on health outcomes by using these theoretical models. Research strengthens ideas by testing their validity through systematic examination. Structured methods gather evidence that either supports, improves, or questions theoretical views. The nurse-led hypertension management experiment by Miao et al. (2020) converted theoretical concepts of nurse-driven chronic disease care into quantifiable results, including enhanced self-care behaviors and blood pressure regulation. These findings reinforce the theoretical foundations of nursing by offering empirical evidence.
Theory and research form the basis of nursing knowledge, whereas practice embodies the application of both in actual clinical environments. Nursing practice converts evidence into action by customizing interventions to meet patient requirements, assessing outcomes, and modifying care plans. Baratta et al. (2022) showed that both research outcomes and the lived experiences of patients and providers influence practice. Their study looked at how people felt about telemonitoring for high blood pressure and found both pros and cons. Pros included higher drive, and cons included technical problems. These real-life examples complement the quantitative data and show how nursing interventions need to take into account the specifics of each case to be effective. The circle of theory, research, and practice goes on and on: theory leads inquiry, research finds evidence, practice uses that evidence, and new theories are then based on that evidence. This combination ensures that nursing grows as both a research field and a field of practice.
Supporting Theory
The Health Belief Model (HBM) is congruent with the suggested evidence-based practice modification aimed at enhancing hypertension outcomes via nurse-led care and remote monitoring. The Health Belief Model highlights the impact of individuals’ views of vulnerability, severity, advantages, and barriers on health-related activities (Nematzad et al., 2023). The research conducted by Miao et al. (2020) indicates that enhancements in self-care behaviors and self-efficacy among patients under nurse-led management demonstrate that heightened awareness and perceived advantages drive adherence to care. In the same way, Baratta et al. (2022) found both drivers and barriers, which are in line with HBM constructs. Drivers included better blood pressure control and clinic efficiency, while barriers included technical problems and a drop in adherence. With this theory as a guide, nurses can make changes that lower hurdles, raise perceived benefits, and encourage patients to be more involved in managing their high blood pressure. The team can use this theory to plan treatments that will improve both adherence and clinical results by focusing on behavioral and motivational factors.
Comparison of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Articles
Miao et al. (2020) and Baratta et al. (2022) studied hypertension management, focusing on its usefulness and distinct approaches. They used different research methods to come to their conclusions. To investigate objective outcomes such as blood pressure, self-care behaviors, self-efficacy, and patient happiness, Miao et al. (2020) used a randomized controlled study. The excellent thing about this study is that it shows that the nurse-led intervention led to better results for patients. Another study, by Baratta et al. (2022), looked at how patients and healthcare workers felt about telemonitoring for hypertension. They used semi-structured interviews and a qualitative approach. This technique gathered emotional information and drew attention to aspects such as how acceptable, possible, and long-lasting the action was. The qualitative study reveals the factors that make implementation challenging or easier based on the situation, while the quantitative study provides an objective measure of success. When making long-lasting, patient-centered models for managing high blood pressure, these two results make it clear how important it is to use both objective outcome data and stakeholder views.
Technology and Databases Used
Two scholarly peer-reviewed articles were identified using computerized databases to ensure access to reputable and pertinent evidence. The principal databases utilized were PubMed and CINAHL, both esteemed for their provision of high-quality nursing and medical research. Search phrases were deliberately utilized to identify papers centered on hypertension management, including “nurse-led hypertension management,” “telemonitoring for hypertension,” and “hypertension self-care.” Boolean operators (AND, OR) were used to combine keywords and improve results, ensuring that papers that particularly addressed the intersection of technology-assisted care and nursing interventions were retrieved. It was agreed that the results would only include peer-reviewed studies published within the previous five years. The evidence became more valuable and pertinent as a result. The quantitative study by Miao et al. (2020) and the qualitative study by Baratta et al. (2022) were picked because they show strong support for nurse-led and technology-enhanced methods of hypertension care.
Philosophical, Theoretical, and Methodological Perspectives
Both Miao et al. (2020) and Baratta et al. (2022) conducted studies that show different approaches to evaluating and conducting nursing research. Miao et al. (2020) adopted a positivist philosophical perspective, prioritizing truth, quantification, and applicability to diverse contexts. The researchers used a quantitative approach to conduct a randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of a nurse-led hypertension management program. Standardized metrics, such as blood pressure readings and self-care practices, were used. Deductive reasoning is used in this method to check the truth of ideas about the effectiveness of an intervention. In contrast, Baratta et al. (2022) employed a constructivist approach and claimed that people’s perceptions of medical treatments are influenced by their experiences and ideas. The study used semi-structured interviews together with inductive and deductive analysis to look at how various stakeholders felt about telemonitoring. Viability, context, and meaning are given precedence above quantifiable outcomes in this interpretive approach. Collectively, these studies demonstrate how many methodological and philosophical viewpoints can produce insights that are advantageous for clinical practice and patient-centered care approaches.
Ethical and Scientific Integrity Issues in the Research
In order to safeguard participants and guarantee the accuracy of the findings, both studies examined social and scientific integrity concerns. Miao et al. (2020), for instance, carried out a randomized controlled trial with ethical precautions, such as getting informed consent and protecting patient privacy throughout the intervention. Randomization and the use of well-known measuring tools improved the accuracy of the science and reduced bias, which made the data more reliable. The ethical rules that Baratta et al. (2022) followed were proper for a qualitative study. These guidelines included getting informed permission, keeping patients’ and providers’ identities safe, and handling sensitive information carefully during interviews. By employing consensus coding techniques, being transparent about the techniques employed, and applying a hybrid approach to data processing, the scientific integrity was preserved. Both studies acknowledged their shortcomings, such as technical difficulties or environmental concerns, demonstrating the integrity of the reporting. The evidence is more substantial and more applicable to nursing practice overall when it adheres to ethical norms and scientific accuracy.
Advancement of Nursing Knowledge Through Research Utilization
Putting together the findings from Miao et al. (2020) and Baratta et al. (2022) improves nursing knowledge by showing how nurse-led approaches and technology-enhanced strategies can be used together to provide better hypertension care. The actual data from Miao et al. (2020) shows that nurse-led care is effective at lowering blood pressure, improving self-care habits, and improving patient satisfaction. This supports the idea that nurses are the most important people in managing chronic illnesses. However, by investigating how patients and clinicians view telemonitoring, Baratta et al. (2022) advance nursing knowledge. They list both benefits and drawbacks, including increased motivation and clinical effectiveness, as well as drawbacks such as adherence issues and technical issues. When combined, these studies provide a comprehensive picture that looks at systemic, behavioral, and practical issues as well as their findings. This review contributes to evidence-based nursing by promoting patient-centered, long-lasting, and beneficial interventions.
Conclusion
Evidence-based practice combines theory, research, and real-world use in nursing to improve patient care and outcomes. The two trials that were examined demonstrate that technology-based techniques and nurse-led treatments can be effectively combined to assist in managing high blood pressure. Together, they demonstrate how crucial it is to employ quantifiable outcomes along with patient and provider views to develop care models that are both successful and long-lasting. Nurses can remove barriers, boost engagement, and ensure long-term success by using theoretical frameworks to guide the creation of interventions. In the end, this combination helps nurses provide high-quality, patient-centered care and increases their knowledge.
References
Baratta, J., Brown-Johnson, C., Safaeinili, N., Rosas, L. G., Palaniappan, L., Winget, M., & Mahoney, M. (2022). Patient and health professional perceptions of telemonitoring for hypertension Management: Qualitative study. JMIR Formative Research, 6(6), e32874. https://doi.org/10.2196/32874
Miao, J., Wang, H., & Liu, N. (2020). The evaluation of a nurse-led hypertension management model in an urban community healthcare setting. Medicine, 99(27), e20967. https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000020967
Nematzad, P., Pourghane, P., Besharati, F., & Gholami-Chaboki, B. (2023). Effects of the health belief model in promoting self-care behaviors among hypertensive older adults. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_689_22
Tappen, R. M. (2023). Advanced nursing research: From theory to practice. (3rd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
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A nurse on the research and practice committee is preparing for an update on evidence-based practice (EBP). There is a need to address the potential changes with several EBP policies. This presentation will examine the EBP policies as well as reasoning and rationale as to why changes may be needed.
- Choose an EBP topic and two scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles
- Compare the difference between theory, research, and practice in nursing
- Choose a theory that best correlates with the EBP practice change that you would like to make
- Compare and contrast the quantitative and qualitative research article that you choose for the EBP topic
- What technology did you use to locate the articles? Databases? Search terms?
- What are the philosophical, theoretical, and methodological perspectives in the research articles that were chosen?
- What are the ethical and scientific integrity issues related to the research?
- How did your nursing knowledge advance through the utilization of research?
