Through observation and experience, the nursing practice has evolved significantly over the years. The need to attain the utmost best care practices has been one of the main concerns for policymakers, educators, and nurse managers. The nursing theory application improves all dimensions of the practices and guides on areas that require research and improvement. In my opinion, all practices should be based on theory. Despite the gaps and concern towards theory and nursing perception, theory-based practice effectively provides holistic care to patients. According to Alejandro (2017), there is a demand for a health care facility to achieve excellence in patient outcomes, hence the need for nursing theories to improve daily practice. Theories help describe, predict, and prescribe realities that support the goal of good practices (Brandão et al., 2019). Theories address many principles in health and can be needs, outcomes, interaction, or humanistic theories. Each theory describes which aspects of why nursing is needed.
In my opinion, theories offer a standard nursing practice, ensuring all patients receive the best care anywhere in the world. Without standards, they will be a disparity in care. The concept of best practices requires consistency in explanations, techniques, procedures, and prescriptions performed to achieve a certain task achieved (Brandão et al., 2019). Theories provide a basis to which this can be achieved. Care can be measured in quality, and this requires an explanation of what is believed to be quality and, as such, can be adopted as standard practices.
Alejandro, J. I. (2017). Lessons learned through nursing theory. Nursing, 47(2), 41–42. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nurse.0000511808.68087.e3
Brandão, M. A. G., Barros, A. L. B. L. de, Caniçali Primo, C., Bispo, G. S., & Lopes, R. O. P. (2019). Nursing theories in the conceptual expansion of good practices in nursing. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 72(2), 577–581. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2018-0395