Posted: October 24th, 2022

Theory, Practice, & Research

1 paragraph response to the following with purpose citation:

Theory, Practice, & Research

Diverse perspectives illustrate a dynamic and complex interaction between theory, practice, and study. The present emphasis on evidence-based care, as well as the implementation of value-based purchasing, necessitates the incorporation of the three factors into care delivery (Lor et al., 2017). Nurses must comprehend how theory leads to research and how research generates knowledge that can be used to affect practice results.

Theory, practice, and research have a cyclical and reciprocal relationship. To influence patient outcomes, effective nursing practice necessitates the use of knowledge, skills, and the art of science. Nursing philosophy involves beliefs that serve as the lens through which nurses perceive clients. Theories aid in explaining the uniqueness of the nursing profession and defining the specific contribution of nursing to client care (Utley et al., 2017). Research contributes significantly to the body of knowledge used to impact healthcare decisions. In the framework of nursing research, knowledge is developed that may be used to support health initiatives. Research is also utilized to provide evidence for theory in order to avoid using obsolete information to make critical healthcare decisions.

The survival of the nursing profession is contingent on the use of theory and research evidence to inform crucial decisions. In an ideal world, research findings would be used to support nursing theory and then used to design a protocol that could be implemented during patient care. One could argue that the goal of research is to increase knowledge by developing and testing theories (Saleh, 2018). Aside from that, there is a connection between theory and research, with researchers expected to employ a theoretical framework to drive nursing research. The idea is used to drive nursing research by developing testable hypotheses. This is a mutual interaction since theory helps to guide research while research helps to test theory and generate additional knowledge. As a result, research might be utilized to reject some theoretical features and open up additional space for inquiry.

The major goal of theory and research is to improve practice by influencing patient outcomes positively. Nursing practice encompasses interventions designed to address patients’ health concerns, as well as other vital areas such as advocacy and nursing education (Utley et al., 2017). Nursing practice, I believe, provides the foundation for the creation of nursing theory, and research functions to support the theory. Despite recent advances in nursing, there is still a gap between practice and theory. For example, the theoretical aspect is regarded to be the responsibility of educators and intellectuals rather than nurses (Saleh, 2018). Nursing theory and practice are sometimes considered as two distinct entities that must be proven before use.

Nursing research connects the theoretical and practical components of the profession. Before they can be used in practice, nursing theory constructs must be explained and tested. Perhaps this is why the relationship between theory and practice is mutual. Nursing practice must be influenced by research evidence in today’s increasingly complicated and competitive healthcare system (Lor et al., 2017). The best nursing theories are informed by practice, and the best practices are anchored in nursing theory and supported by nursing research data. Nurses must attempt to bridge the existing gaps in order to maintain the reciprocal and circular link between the three components. Collaboration between researchers and practicing nurses may be the most effective way for bridging the gap between nursing theory, research, and practice.

References

Lor, M., Backonja, U., and D. R. Lauver (2017). How could nurse researchers better employ theory to generate knowledge? . 580-589 in Journal of Nursing Scholarship: An Official Publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, 49(5). https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12316

U. S. Saleh (2018). Nursing practice is guided by theory. 2(1), Journal of Nursing Research and Practice. https://m.ztcbaoan.com/scholarly-articles/theory-g…

R. Utley, D. N. P. Kristina Henry, and L. Smith (2017). Philosophies, ideas, models, and taxonomies for advanced nursing practice and research. Springer Publishing Group

1 paragraph with an intent citation to the following:

Theory, practice, and research are all interconnected.

Nursing is built on three pillars: practice, research, and theory. The relationships between theory, practice, and research are mutually reinforcing and circular. Clinical practice generates knowledge for theoretical and research concerns. Research influences our approach, and theory development advances our understanding. Theory drives research, improves application, promotes research, and improves practice (Saleh, 2018). As a result, the three are critical and autonomous, and they are recognized as the foundation of nursing practice.

In the advancement of science across all disciplines, research and theory are used interchangeably. As a result, science is the result of the interplay between the inquiry process (research) and the knowledge output (theory). In addition to directing nursing practice, the research strives to advance knowledge in an area by establishing or testing hypotheses. Because research generates more information and theory, the link between research and theory is mutual. The use of theory as a framework to provide perspective and direction to the research investigation is critical to the research process. Theory can also be used to drive the research process by constructing and testing hypothetical phenomena of interest (Saleh, 2018).

Furthermore, out-of-theory is where practice is carried out and out-of-practice theories are derived. However, there is a gap between theory and practice, which stimulated study in a certain subject. The divide between theory and practice can be generally expressed by contrasting the attitudes and motivations of researchers and academics who prioritize and value theory with practitioners who emphasize and value pragmatism and action. This purported divide has been seen in three different ways. First, it has been perceived as a problem with information transfer, with research and theoretical knowledge failing to make it into the world of practice. Second, it has been acknowledged as exemplifying the separate ontological position of theoretical and practical knowledge. Third, the absence of knowledge co-creation between theorists and practitioners has been noted as a concern with the knowledge production gap (Pinfield, Wakeling, Bawden, & Robinson, 2021). However, the two always collaborate to achieve a specific impact in a certain research discipline.

Nursing, like all other scientific fields, relies on study, theory, and practice to ensure its success. The primary purpose of nursing theory is to improve practice by improving patients’ health and quality of life. Theory and practice mutually reinforce one another. Nursing theory is developed through experience, but it must also be validated through practice. Theory development has generally been considered as the domain of nurse educators and academics, rather than practical nurses. Theoretical and practical nursing have long been considered separate nursing practices. Some ideas and constructions must be specified before using nursing theory in practice. Furthermore, theoretical knowledge does not ensure excellent practice. Theory is not always followed by practice (Saleh, 2018). As a result, ideas and research serve as the framework for practice and support those goals. Furthermore, the practice presents concerns concerning theory and research that are considered authoritative.

References:

S. Pinfield, S. Wakeling, D. Bawden, and L. Robinson (2021). Relationships and Gaps in Theory and Practice Open Access in Theory and Practice, edited by S. Pinfield, S. Wakeling, D. Bawden, and L. Robinson (pp. 63–74). Routledge, London and New York. Routledge Critical Studies on Open Access (https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/3992…

U. S. Saleh (2018). Nursing practice is guided by theory. Vol 2: No 1, 1. Journal of Nursing Research and Practice