most important metaparadigms is environment
We are all individual person living in the world, or the earth, our environment. We all somehow in our life get sick sometimes, which means we require nursing care. These four metaparadigm are cooperate with each other and they are connected together. However, the one of the most important metaparadigms is environment in my nursing practice.
The first week of my orientation on the floor is to learn the safety check in each room at the beginning of the shift. I was taught to check whether there are oxygen tubing, suction and bed alarm for high fall risk patients are set up and I have to make sure that there should be a clear pathway to walk around the patient’s rooms and there should not be any cords on the floor that possibly trip people. Keeping with the current healthcare focus of patient care quality and safety in acute and intensive care environments is very important. There is one time we have a patient that is in airway emergency and we need to suction him. However, the room was not ready with all the suction tubing and set up. The patient ended up with brain death because of delay intubation.
A lot of long-term hospitalization patients would like to decorate their room with their own stuffs, putting up all their own pictures with family, friends and have their ADLs, like toothbrush and pajama. They feel more relax and comfort when they have the quiet and warm environment provide then with safety and security.
According to Nightingale’s environment theory, it entails fresh air, pure water, effective drainage, cleanliness and light are the key elements in functioning of life’s processes and health status. It is involving the nurses’ initiative to configuring environmental settings appropriate for the gradual restoration of the patients’ health, and the external factors associated with the patient’s surroundings affect life or biologic and physiologic processes, and his development (Selanders, 1998).
Virginia Henderson’s “Need Theory” on one hand has the same goal as Nightingale’s environment theory. They both addressing the needs of patients is crucial in providing quality care. “Need theory” not only included providing the safe/secure environment to patients, it also considered close to realism and it is aiming to enable nurses to improve standard of caring by assessing patient needs including physiological, psychological, spiritual and moral (Ahtisham & Jacoline, 2015). Comparing these two theories, nurses have a unique ability to apply their observational skills to understand the role of the designed environment to enable healing in their patients. As a bedside nurse, by comparing the similarities and differences between these two theories, it put me up to in a better position to provide the holistic care to my patients.