The philosphy of the nursing profession is defined by four basic concepts.
The nursing profession is built upon four key concepts: person, environment, health and nursing. These four concepts encompass the key tenets of nursing philosophy and practice and define the means by which individuals should be viewed and treated within the nursing profession. The four concepts are interrelated and each is built upon the foundation of the concept that precedes it.
Person
In nursing theory, human beings are considered in terms of their physiological, psychological, social, spiritual and cultural selves. People are evaluated in terms of their individual place in society as well as their relationships to their family, community and society as a whole. Additionally, human beings are viewed in terms of their individual needs and how nursing practice is applied to meet these needs. The purpose of nursing and nursing theory is to identify how a particular individual's needs are either met or not met, to predict future needs and to prioritize those needs in order of importance.
Environment
The environment concept of nursing comprises all the internal and external factors that act on human beings and affect their behavior and development. This includes psychological, spiritual, social, physical and cultural forces as well as the environment in which nursing care is provided. The idea behind this concept is that the environment influences individual and collective health and that individuals who experience a positive, comfortable nursing environment are more likely to demonstrate good health versus those who receive a level of care that is lacking.
Health
The concept of health refers to an individual's physical, mental and social well-being and at what point they are on the health spectrum, which ranges from good health to poor health or death. Health is considered to be affected by genetic factors, environmental factors, lifestyle factors and external mechanisms, such as bacteria. A person's place on the health spectrum is constantly changing and in a nursing context, it's the responsibility of nursing professionals to identify the patient's place on the spectrum and to take steps to help that person's health improve.
Nursing
Nursing refers to the process of caring for the health of human beings and assisting individuals in meeting their needs while also teaching them the basics of caring for themselves. The responsibilities of the nursing profession are to promote good health, to prevent disease when possible, to promote healing in those who are ill and to ease the suffering of dying patients. The concept of nursing extends beyond the health care facility to the community and society as a whole, and views individual health and the environment as closely related. Nursing is defined as care that is tailored to the needs of individuals and that is provided in an efficient and effective manner.
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