About Nursing Theories

Nursing theory is defined as ‘a creative and rigorous structuring of ideas that project a tentative, purposeful, and systematic view of phenomena. It is an organized framework of concept and purpose designed to guide the practice of nursing. Nursing theories are used to describe, develop, disseminate, and use present knowledge in nursing. Nursing theories include Grand nursing theories- Grand nursing theories have the broadest scope and present general concepts and propositions. Theories at this level may both reflect and provide insights useful for practice but are not designed for empirical testing. Mid-range nursing theories - Middle-range nursing theories are narrower in scope than grand nursing theories and offer an effective bridge between grand nursing theories and nursing practice. They present concepts and propositions at a lower level of abstraction and hold great promise for increasing theory-based research and nursing practice strategies. Nursing practice theories - Nursing practice theories have the most limited scope and level of abstraction and are developed for use within a specific range of nursing situations. Nursing practice theories provide frameworks for nursing interventions, and predict outcomes and the impact of nursing practice.