DOROTHEA OREM

Dorothea Orem was born in Baltimore, Maryland in the year 1914. She completed her diploma in nursing in early 1930s, BSN in the year 1939, Master of Science in nursing education in the year 1945. She started working on Self care theory in the year 1958. She published Nursing theory as a guide for curriculum for nursing practice in the year 1959. She was awarded Alumni achievement award by Catholic University of America for his Nursing theory in the year 1988 and her honorary Doctorate of science in the year 1999. Dorothea Orem served community as nurse consultant in Indiana State Board of Health. She took greater effort to improve vocational nursing educational curriculum.

Nursing process

Dorothea Orem developed nursing theory based on the nursing practical process.

• Nursing assessment: Analyze patient need to care
• Nursing planning: After analyzing planning to care patients
• Nursing management: Proper planning implements controlled nursing actions

Nursing theory

Nursing model work was commenced in the year 1965. According to her prediction, it is the care that cures the illness and not medication. Development of theory showed varieties of model variations for specific population. She has published General theory of nursing. There are three types of nursing theory.

• Self care theory
• Self care deficit theory
• Nursing system theory

Self care theory

Nursing practices are carried out independently by a registered nurse. It helps in proper maintenance of an individual health. Self care theory is developed based on the self care concepts by an individual, agency, requisites and or therapeutic agents. Self care agency is of two types like self care and dependent care. Self care requisites helps in calculation of self care measures based on three categories.

• Universal- which is common for all beings
• Developmental-due to growth factors
• Deviation in health -due to infection, diseases and or injuries

Self care deficit theory

She has explained in Self care deficit theory about when nursing theory will be applicable for an individual. It’s the main focus of Orem nursing theory. She also substantiates how better people are cared by proposing five self deficit caring in five stages.

• Acting: Concept identification with their relationships
• Guiding: Development & testing concept of self care agency
• Teaching: Development of models and rules for nursing practices
• Supporting: Development of nursing cases by nurses or practitioner
• Supporting environment: Development of Nursing model for populations

Nursing system theory

She explains the need for nursing responsibilities. She describes the quality of life improvement with neat sketch of practitioner and patient tasks and underlying principles. She also specified consequent action plan for best practices in three systems.

• Wholly compensatory: Depending on others
• Partly compensatory: Depending on the self care requisites
• Supportive educative: Depending on acquisition of knowledge