Case Study of Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory
Mr. Shoaib, a 62-year-old male patient, has been admitted to your ward. He has right ischemic CVA with left site body paralysis as a result. He has no sensation or movement on his left side. He is unable to swallow food because he has lost his gag reflex. An N/G tube is inserted to provide him with nutrition. Mr. Shoaib is unable to change his position and is dependent on caregivers to do so. He is also unable to carry out his normal daily activities. His family is concerned about his ability to reclaim control of his life. They are also concerned about their ability to provide him with the care he requires once he is discharged from the hospital.
As a nurse, I am well prepared to meet the various needs of patients who exhibit self-care deficits. The methods that nurses can use to address specific issues are described in the scenario. As a nurse, I can assist patients in maintaining their personal hygiene by providing self-care reminders and motivation. This could include daily reminders for activities such as bathing and cleaning. I can assist their patients with dressing/grooming by recommending clothing that is easy to put on and remove, providing privacy, and providing frequent motivation. I can assist patients in feeding themselves as soon as possible. Patients can remain independent throughout their meals by creating a conducive eating environment (positioning the patient, for example). A nurse should work to make toileting easier for patients. This includes the use of bedpans, suppositories, stool softeners, and commodes. Nurses should also be present in the event of any accidents or falls. Nurses should collaborate closely with speech pathologists in swallow assessment and speech deficit to ensure that any type of speech deficit does not interfere with communication about care.
Introduction
Self-care is defined as activities initiated and carried out by individuals in order to maintain a high quality of life, health, and wellbeing, and it is regarded as a learned attitude acquired through personal interest, education, and medical experiences (Orem 2001; Avdal Unsal and Kizilci 2010; Hartweg and Pickens 2016). The theory defines self-care and why it is necessary for survival (Ozturk and Karatas 2008; Pektekin 2013). Humans, according to self-care theory, are capable of defining and meeting their own needs (Avdal Unsal and Kizilci 2010). Nurses are then expected to develop skills in identifying and understanding the self-care skills of care recipients. Nurses are unable to do the following when self-care power is not properly identified:
Make choices about existing or potential self-care deficits and their causes.
Create a solid strategy for providing valid and dependable assistance, as well as learn and apply useful nursing systems (Yesilbalkan Usta et al. 2005).
Orem introduced self-care as one of the components of self-care nursing theory. Orem sees humans and the environment as a unified whole and believes that humans and the environment, as well as humans themselves, influence each other reciprocally within this unit. Some of the factors that influence self-care behaviors are beliefs, social and cultural background, personal characteristics, and the relationship between health care providers and clients. Other factors influencing self-care behaviors include ethnicity, socioeconomic background, educational level, employment status, environmental factors such as pollution, sociopolitical variables, and a lack of knowledge.
Importance
The concept of self-care is important because humans need to maintain and promote their health and recovery. Lack of healthcare services and insufficient access to health care for the entire community can increase healthcare expenditure. Self-care activities alleviate disease symptoms and complications, shorten recovery time, and reduce hospital stay and rehospitalization rates. It has been reported that the main reason for frequent referrals to healthcare centers and rehospitalization in patients with chronic diseases, such as CVA, is a lack of self-care knowledge.
Principles of self-care
The deliberate action of self-care is essential for health and well-being, and when individuals are unable to meet therapeutic self-care demands and experience self-care deficits due to health-related self-care limitations, nurses are needed to assist persons to accomplish self-care. The nurse and the patient meet in a helping situation in which nurses design, manage, and maintain care systems. These nursing systems include social, interpersonal, and technological sub-systems and are intended to assist individuals in meeting self-care demands and thus meeting self-care requisites in daily living. The self-care model directs the nurse to concentrate on the individual and his self-care behavior in day-to-day living rather than on any specific problem, symptom, or condition.
Analysis
The goal of nursing theories is to provide an interconnected framework centered on nursing practice. The defined nursing theories promote better patient care, raise the status of the nursing profession, improve nurse communication, and provide guidance to researchers and educators (Keefe, 2011). Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory is better suited to the acute-care setting, where a patient receives active but brief treatment for a severe injury or illness episode. Orem focuses on identifying the patient’s lack of self-care and providing the necessary care to promote his or her well-being.