Benchmark – Applying Theory to a Practice Problem – Part 3: Application of Borrowed Theory to the Problem and Conclusion

Benchmark – Applying Theory to a Practice Problem: In this assignment, you will explore and apply borrowed theory to solve the specific problem that you identified previously, and you will synthesize the applications of the middle-range theory…

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Paper details

The purpose of this assignment is to apply borrowed theory to solve identified problems. In the previous assignment, you identified a clinical practice problem that you are aware of in professional nursing practice and you explored how middle-range theory could be applied to solve the problem.

In this assignment, you will explore and apply borrowed theory to solve the specific problem that you identified previously, and you will synthesize the applications of the middle-range theory and the borrowed theory into the most appropriate solution to the problem.

Consider the problem that you described in the previous assignments and the instructor feedback about those assignments. Write a paper (1,250-1,500 words) that describes how borrowed theory can be applied to an identified problem. The paper should include the following:

  1. An introduction of the problem, including identification of the potential middle-range theory that could be applied and a brief analysis of the concepts the theory offers.
  2. A description of a borrowed theory that could be applied to the problem and the rationale explaining why this borrowed theory is appropriate to your identified problem. Include a brief analysis of the concepts this theory offers.
  3. A brief history of the borrowed theory\’s origins.
  4. A discussion of how the borrowed theory has been previously applied and how it might be applied to the identified problem. How would your practice change by incorporating this theory?
  5. A critique and evaluation of both the middle-range and borrowed theories.
  6. A discussion of how the application of concepts from both the borrowed theory and the middle-range theory can be integrated to create the most appropriate solution to the identified specialized nursing practice problem.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

Benchmark Information

This benchmark assignment assesses the following programmatic competencies:

MSN

4.1: Identify and analyze theoretical concepts. 

4.2: Critique and evaluate theories from nursing and related disciplines.  

4.3 Integrate concepts and relevant theories into specialized nursing practice. 

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Solution

Benchmark – Applying Theory to a Practice Problem

Summary of the Problem

Nursing shortages are a systematic issue that adversely affects the quality of care and patient outcomes. The care metrics directly impacted by the nursing shortage include medical errors, nurse burnout and fatigue, staff turnover, and declining job satisfaction rates among nurses (Brayer et al., 2017). Besides, with the raging covid-19 pandemic, an aging population, a relatively significant number of retiring baby boomers, and high prevalence rates of chronic conditions, nursing shortages pose a threat to the ability of the health continuum to meet the needs of patients across the country.

With nurses being uniquely positioned to impact care delivery and the health outcomes of different populations and communities, it is pivotal to explore the various approaches that could help identify the root cause of the problem and address it. The preceding assignment explored Jean Watson’s theory of caring and concluded that it is integral for nurses to take care of themselves first before taking care of patients.

This promotes human connectedness, regenerates positivity, and helps eliminate physical, emotional, and psychological exhaustion, which could help improve retention rates and job satisfaction among nurses. To obtain insights and gain a comprehensive understanding of the diverse ways to address the problem, this paper evaluates a theory borrowed from another domain and explores the problem within the context and understanding of the theory.

A Description of Borrowed Theory: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Examining the nursing problem from the confines of a different domain may offer an in-depth understanding of the manifestation of the problem and the different ways to address the issue. This paper borrows Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs from the psychological domain and explores the theory to understand nursing staff shortages and how to address the problem and its resulting impacts on patient outcomes and the quality of care. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs narrows down to the things that drive the decisions and actions made by people in different circumstances.

As such, the theory conceptualizes that people first prioritize meeting physiological needs such as nutrition and shelter. Once the needs are satisfied, the individual moves to satisfying safety needs, often security and safety, then belongingness and love needs, including intimate relationships and friendships. Progressively, the individual further shifts focus to esteem needs, including prestige and the feeling of accomplishment (Jackson et al., 2014).

As described by Maslow, the ultimate level of human satisfaction is self-actualization, which entails achieving one’s full potential and ranges from creativity to morality, spirituality, and acceptance of facts. At the core of the theory is the belief that as one satisfies the needs and progresses, frustration and discontentment regress, thus creating room for a more fulfilled life.

Nursing thrives when coupled with contentment, purpose, and an unrelenting drive to care for others. Traits such as compassion and empathy co-exist with fulfillment and contentment and are likely parallel to frustration and exhaustion. Nursing shortages are intrinsically linked to frustrations due to increased workloads and long shift hours, resulting in frustrations, discontentment, burnout, and high levels of fatigue (Jackson et al., 2014).

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Drawing from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, nurses would attain contentment and fulfillment with their roles in a clinical environment that helps satisfy their basic, psychological, and self-fulfillment needs. In a harsh work environment, nurses are likely to find it challenging to meet basic needs such as rest and sleep, and the vital psychological needs such as family time, the ability to develop friendships and relationships outside work (Glasper, 2018). Burnout and frustrations could also impact the ability of the nurse to go for personal growth, a critical factor in progression in Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.

Maslow’s theory underlines that eliminating the frustrations, burnout, and exhaustion caused by nursing shortages could go a long way in motivating nurses to be the best they can be in their roles. The concept of motivation dictates that by promoting the attainment of the needs of the staff and providing an environment that allows them to satisfy their needs, healthcare organizations motivate their nurses to achieve their full potential (Brayer et al., 2017).

On the contrary, nursing shortages and the challenges associated with short staffing led to poor motivation and subsequently high turnover rates, poor job satisfaction rates, and frustration which affects the ability of nurses to deliver care effectively. Hence, incorporating motivating factors such as training, an adequate patient-to-nurse ratio, and supportive work environments could facilitate better outcomes.

Origin of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow conceptualized the theory based on the understanding that some needs are superior to others and tend to be prioritized. As a result, the Hierarchy of Needs is a humanistic theory that focuses on the psychology associated with human behavior and what drives people to specific actions (Groff Paris, & Terhaar, 2010). Developed in the 1940s, the theory holds that people are motivated to meet a set of needs, and once they are satisfied, they move to the next set of needs. Maslow created a pyramid that outlines how people progressed from the psychological to self-fulfillment needs and showed how people are motivated to scale up the pyramid to achieve their full potential.

Previous Application of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs has been widely applied in nursing education and training and different aspects of patient care. For instance, besides continuing education being one of the ways of improving quality of care, it also helps attain safety needs and esteem needs (Glasper, 2018). In patient care, fulfilling the needs of patients is one of the ways of motivating the patient to take an active role in treatment and management of the health complications they are facing.

Need fulfillment has been shown to improve engagement and follow-up among patients and improve medication adherence. One such application of the concept is in nursing education, where Maslow’s was used to understand the motivation levels among nursing educators. The study’s findings show that low motivation rates were associated with the frustration associated with work overload and lack of recognition (Kautt, 2018). This affected the attainment of basic psychological needs and esteem needs.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs has also been used to understand the engagement and involvement of nurses in the promotion of the nursing profession. In the study, Hazanov et al. (2021) determined that how the nurse perceives the work environment is associated with professional self-actualization. These factors were shown to positively influence the nurse to take part in promoting the nursing profession.

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The study was founded on the findings that one of the ways of addressing the nursing shortage problem was to promote the nursing profession to improve the public image of nurses in a variety of ways, especially in the media. Hence, by improving the work environment of nurses and facilitating further training, the study showed that nurses were motivated to attain professional self-actualization, which led them to engage in promotional activities.

Furthermore, in a study into meeting the health needs of vulnerable populations, Thompson et al. (2016) determine that multifaceted interventions that help meet non-health-related needs and support reaching health-related goals may promote health in vulnerable populations.

The study shows that to encourage positive behaviors such as smoking cessation and smoking screening, health professionals have to consider the social needs and help the people address non-health basic needs through interprofessional collaboration and referral programs. The study showed that using Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs could help improve the health of vulnerable populations in the long term. These studies utilizing the theory show that human needs are an integral scope that can motivate and influence positive behavior.

Application of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to address Nursing Shortage

Drawing from the perspective of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, unmet needs and lack of motivation are among the key factors causing nursing shortages. As such, poor nursing-to-patient ratios, heavy workloads, and long shift hours limit the ability of nurses to fulfill their most basic psychological needs, including rest and sleep and social needs ranging from friendships to family time.

Therefore, to address the high turnover rates causing nursing shortages and improve motivation in nursing practice, one has to determine and comprehend the needs of nurses (Glasper, 2018). The humanistic theory offers a more engaging solution to the problem, which involves directly engaging the nurses to determine their needs and creating an environment that allows them to progress towards professional and personal self-actualization.

The theory also helps highlight the critical needs that have to be addressed first to eliminate the issue of high turnover rates causing nursing shortages. Immediate psychological needs such as promoting a work-life balance through the evidence-based patient-to-nurse ratios, sufficient rest times, and sustainable shift hours could help nurses meet basic needs such as rest and social needs such as developing social relationships outside work.

After meeting needs, supporting nurses through training and continuing education programs advances safety needs and contributes to the attainment of esteem needs (McEwen & Wills, 2019). Equally, enhancing a positive image, respect, dignity, and recognition in the workplace further help the nurses attain esteem needs that are pivotal in fulfilling professional self-actualization. By understanding and using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, nursing leaders and policymakers can identify the root cause of nursing shortages and institute measures to address the issue extensively.

Integration of Borrowed Theory and Middle-Range Theory

The nursing issue can be addressed using Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Humans, according to Maslow, tend to advance toward self-actualization wants, which are at the top of the pyramid (Glasper, 2018). On the other hand, Jean Watson believes that nurses should be concerned with the patient’s overall wellbeing, from general health to deep spiritual states (Glasper, 2018).

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Watson’s theory is particularly beneficial in the context of the highlighted issue since it demonstrates how nurses can retain emotional stability and foster positive patient care in a non-conducive environment (Glasper, 2018). As highlighted by Maslow’s Theory, the work environment is a critical determinant of a nurse’s motivation towards care. The devastating impacts of a strenuous work environment include increased physical, emotional, and psychological exhaustion related to the increased workload and patient needs, regress motivation, and increased frustration.

This relates to the concepts discussed in Jean Watson’s theory which led to the understanding that nursing leaders should pay more attention to job quality and implement strategies, such as balancing work and rest, reducing the continuing and current state of nurse burnout. From Maslow’s standpoint, implementing these strategies would lead to the attainment of basic psychological needs such as rest and sleep and pave the way for attaining

To sum up, Watson’s idea is in line with Maslow’s theory, which states that recognizing nurses’ desires and enhancing the working atmosphere can help improve nurses’ productivity, competence, enthusiasm, independence, and involvement. Nurses feel supported, driven, acknowledged, and respected when their needs are met, reducing turnover and solving the nursing shortage.

References

  • Brayer, A., Foley, M., Doroszkiewicz, H., Jamiołkowski, J., & Marcinowicz, L. (2017). Job satisfaction among masters in nursing in Central and East Poland: a preliminary study. Family Medicine & Primary Care Review, 19(1), 7. doi:10.5114/fmpcr.2017.65083.
  • Glasper, A. (2018). Strategies to alleviate shortages of nurses in adult social care. British Journal of Nursing, 27(6), 334-335. doi:10.12968/bjon.2018.27.6.334.
  • Groff Paris, L., & Terhaar, M. (2010). Using Maslow’s pyramid and the national database of nursing quality indicators™ to attain a healthier work environment. Online J Issues Nurs.
  • Hazanov, Y., Gehman, Y., Wilf Miron, R., & Kagan, I. (2020). Nursing work environment, professional self-actualization, and marketing of the nursing profession: Cross-sectional study. Nursing Open, 8(1), 434–441. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.644
  • Jackson, J. C., Santoro, M. J., Ely, T. M., Boehm, L., Kiehl, A. L., Anderson, L. S., & Ely, E. W. (2014). Improving patient care through the prism of psychology: applying Maslow’s Hierarchy to sedation, delirium, and early mobility in the intensive care unit. Journal of critical care, 29(3), 438–444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrc.2014.01.009
  • Kautt, G. (2018). ‘Needs-Based’ Pay Policy: Use Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs to help set your firm’s compensation approach and prompt growth. Financial Planning, 48(4), 26-28.
  • McEwen, M., & Wills, E.M. (2019). Theoretical basis for Nursing. (5th ed.). Philidelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
  • Thompson, T., Kreuter, M. W., & Boyum, S. (2016). Promoting Health by Addressing Basic Needs: Effect of Problem Resolution on Contacting Health Referrals. Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education, 43(2), 201–207. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198115599396.
  • Zalenski, R. J., & Raspa, R. (2006). Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: a framework for achieving human potential in hospice. Journal of palliative medicine, 9(5), 1120-1127.

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