Orem's Theory

[whiskeygirl, LPN]

I should have posted this weeks ago when I first started to struggle with this concept. I searched the board to see if a similar topic had come up without any luck.

I am having a terrible time trying to relate to Dorothea Orem's theory of Self Care. This is what I have a grasp on currently:

Universal Requisites- Similar to Maslow's heirarchy of needs. Important for sustaing life. Common to all people.

Developmental Requirements- Developmental milestones that we help to move individuals toward.

Health Deviation- Impairments to health that prevent self care.

Wholly compensatory- Nurse or caregiver does all care for patient. Patient is unable to care for themselves.

Partially compensatory- Patient can do some care for themself but still relies on the nurse or caregiver for assistance.

Supportive-educative- Patient learns to provide care for themself on their own without any assistance from the nurse or care giver.

Is there anyone willing to elaborate on what I have mentioned above, or even flat out correct me if I just don't get it??

Thank you in advance.

[Race Mom, ASN, RN]

Here is some stuff out of my Fundamentals book, hope to give you a different idea on it, but it may be what you already have. Plus, I'm not sure what exact info you are looking for.

Her goal of Nursing is to care for and help client attain total self-care. Her framework for Practice s a self-care deficit theory. Nursing care becomes necessary when client is unable to fulfill biological, psychological, developmental, or social needs (Orem 1991).

She developed a definition of nursing that emphasizes the client's self-care needs. She defines self care as a learned, goal-oriented activity directed toward the self in the interest of maintaining life, health, development, and well-being. She describes her philosophy of nursing in this way:

Nursing has a special concern man's needs for self-care action and the provision and management of it on a continuous basis in order to sustain life and health, recover from disease or injury, and cope with their effects. Self-care is a requirement of every person-man, woman, and child. When self-care is not maintained, illness, disease, or death will occur. Nurses sometimes manage and maintain required self-care continually for persons who are totally incapacitated. In other instances, nurses help persons to maintain required self-care by performing some but not all care measures, by supervising other who assist clients, and by instructing and guiding individuals as they gradually move toward self-care.

The goal of Orem's theory is to help the client perform self-care. Nursing care is necessary when the client is unable to fulfill biological, psychological, developmental, or social needs. The nurse determines why a client is unable to meet these needs, what must be done to enable the client to meet them, and how much self-care the client is able to perform. the goal of nursing is to increase the client's ability to independently meet these needs (hartweg, 1995).

Self-care maintains wholeness. This is her key emphasis.

Woogy

[VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN]

Here are a few links which may be of benefit to you:

http://dana.ucc.nau.edu/~jmg8/

http://members.aol.com/annmrn/nursing_portfolio_I_index.html

[whiskeygirl, LPN]

Woogy, thanks. I have a photocopy of that as well.

Thanks Vicky, I had them both though. And several others to boot. I think I am having a hard time digesting and giving a definition with her major concepts. Not just getting information on her self care theory.

I will keep plugging away at this until I can make it my own!