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- NURS 600 Assignment 3.2
Student Name
Maryville University
NURS 600
Professor Name
Submission Date
Slide 2
Introduction
Introduction to Dorsey and Murdaugh
The contributions of Dorsey and Murdaugh have made a large impact in developing social theory within the field of nursing. The development of their theories has had a great effect on how nursing is practiced today, as well as on the overall formation of the nursing profession.
Biographical Information
Both Murdaugh and Dorsey have had long educational journeys, completing advanced degrees, along with having established significant nursing practice histories. Through their careers, they have made significant contributions to the nursing profession, particularly by advancing nursing theory and applying it to actual nursing practice. The work they have completed has shown both the theoretical basis for nursing excellence and the practicality of their contribution to improving healthcare for individuals.
Rationale for Selection
The work by Dorsey and Murdaugh was chosen because there is a high degree of relationship to the real nursing practice in terms of health behavior and health promotion. Concepts developed by these authors provide a real-world, practical basis for how people make decisions regarding their health and the role nurses can play to bring about positive behavioral changes in the real world. These authors contributed to the existing scholarship; their results can be regarded as of particular interest in the interpretation of the existing challenges in health care. In conclusion, the article by Dorsey and Murdaugh fills the gulf between theory and practice and offers a hint at the changing world of nursing today (Morrow & Dossey, 2024).
Slide 3
Overview of Dorsey and Murdaugh’s Theories
Scope of Theory (behavioral health and promotion)
Dorsey and Murdaugh’s theoretical research is mostly centred around health behaviour and health promotion. Theorists Dorsey and Murdaugh view individuals’ health choices and behaviours as being influenced by a number of factors, including different types of individual characteristics (e.g., physical or cognitive disabilities), social characteristics (e.g., society’s attitudes towards different types of health behaviour), cultural characteristics (e.g., the values associated with healthy eating in different cultures), environmental characteristics (e.g., accessibility to safe and clean water), and how individuals manage their health. In brief, these two theorists consider individuals as both active agents who manage their own health as well as having their health choices and behaviours influenced by the world in which they live (Shah & Asghar, 2023).
School of Thought (environmental advocacy)
This method fits well with an ecological approach to health; that is to say, health is not only created by the physical location of a single individual, but also encompasses many variables concerning the community in which an individual lives, such as social structure and/or cultural practices. The connections between health behaviours and health outcomes can be traced to the social environment of a particular individual through the beliefs, norms, and support that one gets.
Central Concepts (self-efficacy, health beliefs, social support)
The studies conducted by Dorsey and Murdaugh indicated that (1) Self-efficacy, (2) Health beliefs, and (3) Social support are important aspects that can help people to adopt and maintain health-related behaviors. Self-efficacy indicates the confidence of the person that he/she can do something. The health beliefs influence how an individual perceives an illness and its prevention. Social support shows the methods through which family, friends, and community offer support to ensure people make positive health choices. The three of these aspects acting together will influence the overall health outcome of a person.
Importance of Patient Empowerment and Patient-Provider Interaction
The conceptual framework of Dorsey and Murdaugh places much emphasis on the roles of the patient in making their healthcare decisions. They note that good care depends on the cooperation between patients and providers, whereby the patients should be actively engaged in their self-management as well as making decisions concerning their care. This cooperative interaction between the patients and their providers improves communication and trust between them and boosts the possibility of patient-focused care at the same time. Subsequently, patient engagement increases patient outcomes and the general quality of life among patients.
Slide 4
Contributions of Dorsey and Murdaugh’s Theories
Contributions to Nursing/Health Care
The health behavior models of Dorsey and Murdaugh have been integral in recent years in improving nursing practice as well as quality of care. They also aid in understanding how to support people to make health behaviour changes at an individual and population level (Aminabee, 2024). Moreover, their theories also focus on the social and cultural factors that affect health, making it possible to translate theory into practice and improve health outcomes.
Key Publications
- Health behavior and health promotion frameworks used in nursing practice
- Publications and textbook chapters focusing on patient-centered care and health beliefs
- Research articles exploring social support, self-efficacy, and behavioral change in healthcare.
Slide 5
Theory-Practice Connection/Application
Concrete Examples of Theory-Practice Connection
Various healthcare settings have employed theories by Dorsey and Murdaugh to achieve healthy lifestyles by changing behaviors.
- Health promotion interventions grounded on these theories have been created to assist people in developing positive habits like stopping smoking, raising the daily physical activity rates, and improving daily habits (Hawlader et al., 2022).
- It is also possible to apply the theories to enhance patient motivation and compliance and, consequently, enable a person to be compliant with his/her treatment plan, such as taking medications as prescribed, following-up appointments, and making changes to his/her diet.
Application in Nursing Care Settings
In addition to aiding nurses in assessing how their patients feel about their chronic conditions and how these feelings can affect their behaviors, the theories will also enable the nurses to know how their patients think about managing chronic conditions, as well as their self-efficacy levels to manage the illnesses (CHAN, 2021).
- In practice, therefore, nurses will use these theories to provide patients with education in which they have informed decisions on what they wish to do in terms of their further treatment or treatment options, and in which they actively encourage the patients to self-care.
- In addition, utilizing the concepts within these theories in the treatment of patients, nurses will be in a position to assist nurses to provide patient-centered treatments which are culturally competent and impart to their clients the competencies to handle their long-term diseases.
Importance of Patient-Centered Care
Perceiving patients as owners of their health care decision-making, Murdaugh and Dorsey are developing a more patient-centred approach (Naicker, 2023).
- The findings of the current research report that patients will comply with their treatment program more effectively when nurses take the perception, values, and possible social support systems of their patients into consideration and design the care.
- Positive implications include: this improves the results of patient interactions, engagements to improve treatment, and a better overall patient health.
Slide 6
Conclusion
The work by Dorsey and Murdaugh is a great starting point towards building our knowledge of the profession of nursing and further facilitating the practice of nurses, particularly in the aspect of enhancing health and affecting the health behaviour of individuals. Through them, we can develop educational and intervention programs which will lead to better patient care, not to mention better health outcomes for served patients. They also give viable information on how the social, environmental, and interactional factors influence the health behaviour of the individual. The principles can help us nurses to promote positive behavioural change, and also to help prevent illness/disease by applying them in our practice.
Slide 7
References
CHAN, S. W.-C. (2021). Chronic Disease Management, Self-Efficacy and Quality of Life. Journals.lww.com. https://journals.lww.com/jnr-twna/Fulltext/2021/02000/Chronic_Disease_Management
Hawlader, M. D. H., Mozid, N.-E., Sharmin, S., Monju, I. H., Ahmed, S. B., Sarker, W., Amin, M. A., Jhumur, S. S., & Dalal, K. (2022). The art of forming habits: applying habit theory in changing physical activity behaviour. Journal of Public Health, 31(12). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-022-01766-4
Morrow, M. R., & Dossey, B. M. (2024). A Journey of Joy: Dr. Barbara M. Dossey’s Evolution in Nursing. Nursing Science Quarterly, 37(2), 125–133. https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184231224441
Naicker, P. (2023). A “people-centred approach” to realising healthcare by facilitating patient participation in health attainment. Etd.cput.ac.za. https://etd.cput.ac.za/handle/20.500.11838/3928
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