Florence Nightingales Environmental theory

I think ones feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which
bring results
Nightingale believed that the environment was the major component creating illness in a patient;
she regarded disease as the reactions of kindly nature against the conditions in which we have
place ourselves. She recognized not only the dangers of the environment, but she also
highlighted the benefit of good environments in preventing illness. The nursess role include the
management of the environment in a number of ways to improve patients recovery. She
believed that the following can be manipulated by the nurse in order to help the client:
ventilation and warmth, light, cleanliness, health of houses, noise, bed and bedding, personal
cleanliness, variety, chattering hopes and advices, taking food, pet management and
observation of the sick.
So, how is this theory applicable to our client?
Our client is already on the post partum stage wherein she becomes very prone in acquiring
infection especially since there has been a laceration in her perineum and an epissiorhaphy has
been done. Because of the break in the first line of defense, the skin, can acquire infection, and
this risk will become higher should the environment not become conducive for fast recovery.
Thus, to avoid such, it is the duty of the nurse to manipulate the environment for the benefit of
the client.
In lying-in, the ventilation could be improved through opening windows and providing electric
fans which are already there. Also, since the client is a post partum client, there must be
adequate light so that when she moves about, she can see clearly and avoid accidents. Also,
the bed and bedding must be clean and the client herself must be taught on proper ways of
maintaining personal cleanliness (handwashing, cleaning of the perineum.). Also, other factors
such as food, noise and the likes are to be manipulated so that we can provide a conducive
environment for the client to recuperate.
Dorothea Orems Self-care deficit theory of nursing
Individuals, families, groups, and communities need to be taught self care
Orems theory addresses clients self-care needs. It is defined as goal-oriented activities that
are set towards generating interest in the pat of the client to maintain ife and health
development. The theory is aimed towards making the client perform self-care activities in order
to live independently.
Self-care is an acitivity that promotes a persons well-being. It is performed by persons who are
aware of the time frames on behalf of maintaining life, continuing personal development and a
healthy functional living. There are universally set goals that must be undertaken in order for an
individual to function in scope of healthy living. The eight self-care requisites in men, women
and children are:

Maintenance of a sufficient intake of air

Maintenance of a sufficient intake of food
Maintenance of a sufficient intake of water
Provision of care associated with elimination
Maintenance of balance between activity and rest
Maintenance of balance between solitude and social interaction
Prevention of hazards to human life, human functioning and human well-being; and
Promotion of human functioning and development.
So, how is this applicable to our client?
As a postpartum client, still needs the assistance of the student nurse in the preliminary
phase. But, as time goes on, it is the duty of the nurse to help her become independent and to
be capable of taking care of herself. From being weak and fragile, nurses must encourage and
teach her to become someone who will once again be fully capable of doing activities of daily
living. As mentioned in the eight self-care requisites in Orems theories, she must fulfill all
those. Thus, instead of letting the client become dependent, we must help them achieve the
said requisities.
Madeleine Leiningers Transcultural theory in nursing
Care is the heart of nursing; care is power; care is essential to healing; care is curing; and care
is the central and dominant focus of nursing and transcultural nursing decisions and actions
A key component of Leiningers theory is that of cultural diversity. This refers to the differences
or variations that can be found both between and among different cultures. By recognizing the
variations, the nurse can avoid the problem of stereotyping and assuming that all people will
react to the same nursing care.
How is this applicable to our client?
During the interview, the group has learned that the client. and her family believe in the power of
herbal concoctions to treat different illness. They use kalabo and tawa-tawa. It is known that
most people use herbal concoctions as medications, but not all people are capable of accepting
such practice. As nurses, we must not only respect the identity of the person as a client but also
the person that she is after the admission. Thus, whatever belief their family has regarding said
medications, it should be respected by the client. Nurses provide holistic care. Thus, we do not
only take care of the physical aspect of an individual, but everything that she is. With such, our
client learn to trust us, resulting in better nurse-patient relationship.
Ramona Mercers Maternal role attainment theory
The Maternal Role Attainment Theory was developed to serve as a framework for nurses to
provide appropriate health care interventions for nontraditional mothers in order for them to

develop a strong maternal identity. The process used in this nursing model helps the mother
develop an attachment to the infant, which in turn helps the infant form a bond with the mother.
This helps develop the mother-child relationship as the infant grows.
The primary concept of this theory is the developmental and interactional process, which occurs
over a period of time. In the process, the mother bonds with the infant, acquires competence in
general care taking tasks, and then comes to express joy and pleasure in her role as a mother.
The nursing process in the Maternal Role Attainment Theory follows four stages of acquisition.
They are: anticipatory, formal, informal, and personal. The anticipatory stage is the social and
psychological adaptation to the maternal role. This includes learning expectations and can
involve fantasizing about the role. The formal stage is the assumption of the maternal role at
birth. In this stage, behaviors are guided by others in the mothers social system or network, and
relying on the advice of others in making decisions. The informal stage is when the mother
develops her own methods of mothering which are not conveyed by a social system. She finds
what works for her and the child. The personal stage is the joy of motherhood. In this stage, the
mother finds harmony, confidence, and competence in the maternal role. In some cases, she
may find herself ready for or looking forward to another child.
How is this applicable to our client?
As what Mercers theory has stated, the said theory was developed in order to serve as guide to
nontraditional mothers. Our client, R.A.M. is still a teenager, which is nontraditional. As what
society will tell, R.A.M. is still too young to take on the role of a mother when she herself is still a
child. This is where the nurse and the theory comes in. With this theory as the framework, the
nurse can orient and help R.A.M. learn to become a good parent to her newly born child. There
area a lot of ways that the nurse can do in order to establish a good relationship between the
mother and the infant. For one, since the child is term, thus, he can be roomed in together with
his mother. Also, the nurse could teach the mother the proper way of breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding does not only help in the release of oxytocin in the mothers body and transferring
antibodies into the child, but it also serves as a bond between the mother and the infant. With
such, the nurse can help the teenage mother to fully embrace the responsibility of being
responsible for another human being to love and to care for it, and to truly attain the role of
being a mother.