Nursing theory: A discussion on an ambiguous concept

B A C K G R O U N D : For the past few decades, nursing has struggled dramatically to reach scientific status.Theories were “borrowed” from the social sciences, or were developed specifically for nursing. However there is a lot ofambiguity about the whole effort as issues of definition, interpretation and implementation are still being addressed.A I M : This paper aims to elucidate the ambiguous world of Nursing Theories and its relevance to contemporaryNursing.D I S C U S S I O N : Nursing theory is defined and discussed, and reasons why nursing needs theories are explained.An overview of the frameworks and methods used in the analysis and evaluation of Nursing Theories is presented.Considerations with regards to the advantages and disadvantages of the use of the Theories in Nursing are discussed.C O N C L U S I O N S : Suggestions are made about contradictory concepts, their interpretation and incorporationinto practice. Simple examples of nursing theories are provided

R E V I E W Nursing theory A discussion on an ambiguous concept

B A C K G R O U N D : For the past few decades, nursing has struggled dramatically to reach scientific status. Theories were "borrowed" from the social sciences, or were developed specifically for nursing. However there is a lot of ambiguity about the whole effort as issues of definition, interpretation and implementation are still being addressed

Interprofessional collaboration and collaboration among nurses in Northern Greece

A I M : This study aimed at assessing satisfaction from collaboration among nursing staff members as well as betweennurses and physicians, and to determine factors influencing their collaboration.B A C K G R O U N D : Studies investigating the collaboration among nursing staff members are mainly focusedon its negative effects in their work, on horizontal violence among nurses, on colleagues’ aggression, and on verbalabuse. Multidisciplinary and interprofessional working is currently a priority in health care.M A T E R I A L - M E T H O D : The study is descriptive. The data collection was carried out through a self-administeredquestionnaire, which was developed by the researchers. The participants were 336 nursing staff membersworking in hospitals in the greater area of Thessaloniki.R E S U L T S : 87.8% agree that colleagues in the hospital help one the other, and 76.9% agree that there is teamworkand collaboration between the various levels of nursing staff. Almost half (50.5%) disagree that no-one doesnot undermine the efforts of the other. Many nursing staff members (50.6%) agree that physicians collaborate verywell with them. More than a half of the sample (56%) disagree that physicians have a complete picture of the activitiesof a nurse and 57.7% disagree that physicians underestimate too much the nursing staff.C O N C L U S I O N S : Since the nursing work environment has a critical impact on patient safety, nursing staffmembers and physicians should make an effort to collaborate well and to provide quality services