A 6 page research paper that incorporates the scenario that a new clinical direction (CD) has been appointed for a pediatric setting. The CD has asked for input on the task of selecting a theoretical perspective that will facilitate nursing practice within this setting. In answer to this request, the following paper is a proposal focusing on the theoretical perspective of nursing theorist Margaret Newman. Bibliography lists 12 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: D0_khnew12.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
selecting a theoretical perspective that will facilitate nursing practice within this setting. In answer to this request, the following is a proposal focusing on the theoretical perspective of nursing theorist
Margaret Newman. Newmans theory of nursing, "Health as Expanding Consciousness," seems particularly well-suited to the needs of a pediatric setting. This theory is built upon the concept that health
is not a stationary goal, but is rather part of a continuum. According to Newman, lifetime behavior patterns can be identified and manipulated so that the effects of illness or
accident can be viewed as an opportunity for achieving greater health (Manthey, 1996). Furthermore, Newmans view of health as being part of a continuum, rather than simply the absence of
disease or disability, provides a psychologically sound foundation for aiding patients who suffer from chronic illness. As this suggests, this theoretical model can facilitate meeting the psychological and emotional needs
of young clients within a pediatric setting as well as their physical requirements, as the following examination of this model illustrates. Neill (2002) sums up Newmans theoretical
perspective as "transformative." This perspective becomes clear by consulting Newmans own writing in which she explains that "We have become idolatrous of health" (1999, p. 4). This is truly a
transformative perspective because Newman argues that rather than being diametrically opposed, disease and health are merely factors on the same continuum (1999). She argues that "This synthesized view incorporates disease
as a meaningful aspect of health" (1999, p. 6). From this perspective, a child who is wheelchair bound or dealing with chronic asthma is healthy when meeting the parameters established
by a treatment regime or a rehabilitation program. According to Neill (2002), Newmans model enables nurses to use the "unseen, underlying pattern" in a persons life to aid them