Dorothea Orem: The Self Care Deficit Theory

Ok students, you should be reading chapter 14 this week and preparing for our in class discussion on The Self Care Deficit Theory.

What exactly is it?
Well, Orem identified that her search began when she wanted to answer the question, " what conditions exists in a person when judgements are made that a nurse should be brought into the situation?" (Alligood & Tomey, 2011).

Have you ever been in a situation where you were worried you could no longer care for yourself?
Have you ever thought about why your patient's finally came to the hospital, what was the point where they identified they could no longer care for themselves?

We have all written care plans and identified a NANDA of self care deficit. But, did you ever stop and think about why the patient had a deficit, and how do I treat it?

Orem, decided that was the answer she wanted.
Check out this promo YHouTube video of Dorothea Orem.

Check out some of these websites to learn more about Orem's ideas on Self Care.

http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/self_care_deficit_theory.html

http://www.slideshare.net/jben501/dorothea-orem-theory

http://www.orem-society.com/

Interesting reading from the theoriest.

• Orem, D. E. (2001). Nursing: Concepts of practice (6th ed.). St. Louis: Mosby.
• Orem, D.E. (2006). Part One: Dorothea E. Orem’s self-care deficit nursing theory. In M.E. Parker, Nursing theories and nursing practice (2nd ed., pp. 141-149). Philadelphia: F.A. Davis

So how important is Orem's Self Care Deficit Theory?

Implications for Nursing Education
The Self-Care Framework provides a body of knowledge that can be used for curriculum development. The focus of both undergraduate and graduate nursing curricula is on components of self-care, self-care agency, self-care deficits, nursing agency, and nursing systems. Education for clinical skills emphasizes the methods of helping. (Taber's Dictonary, 2012).


References
Alligood, M. R. & Tomey, A. M. (2010). Nursing theorists and their work (7th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby Elsevier.

Taber's (2012). Orem, Dorothea. Retreived from http://www.tabers.com/tabersonline/ub/view/Tabers/144305/0/DOROTHEA_OREM'S_SELF_CARE_FRAMEWORK_:_DOROTHEA_OREM'S_SELF_CARE_FRAMEWORK_