Nursing Theory and Its Impact on Nursing Practice

Evaluate nursing theory and its influence on nursing practice.

Nursing theory starts with ideas about what nursing is and what nursing does. Nurses then use nursing theory to improve the care that nurses provide with the goal of improving healthcare outcomes as nursing theory evolves and expands through research and practice, nursing science, and the discipline of nursing matures. Most importantly, as advanced nurses call upon nursing theory to improve practice, they will need to be versed in using the nursing theory that is applicable to the situation, fits their worldview of nursing, and has demonstrated value in improving patient health outcomes.