Nursing Theory I
4. Orem’s Self-care model
Orem’s General Theory of Nursing
Dorothea Orem’s General Theory of Nursing was first published in 1971. Orem believe that” patient wish to care for themselves. Recovery is quick if they are allowed to perform their own self care activities to the best of their ability or at least incorporated in taking care of themselves”.
Three related concepts:
- Self-care
- Self-deficit
- Nursing system
There are Four concepts in Self-Care theory
- Self-care activities are activities an individual performs independently throughout life to promote and maintain personal well-
- Self-care agency is an individual’s ability to perform self-care activities. There are two agents: Self-care agent (individual who can perform self-care independently) and Dependent care agent (person other than the individual who provides the care).
- Self-care requisites, divided to three categories:
- Universal requisites are common to all people (Maintaining intake and elimination of air, water, and food. balancing rest, social interaction, preventing hazard to life and well-being).
- Developmental requisites (Maturation or as associated with conditions or events like: adjusting to a change in body image or loss of a spouse)
- Health deviation requisites (result from illness, injury or disease or its treatment like: seeking health and carrying our prescribed therapies learning to live with the effects of illness or treatment).
- Therapeutic self-care demand, refers to all self-care activities required to meet existing self-care requisites.
Self-Care deficit results when self-care agency is not adequate to meet the known self-care demand. Five methods of helping; Acting or doing for; Guiding; Teaching; Supporting; providing an environment that promotes the individual’s abilities to meet current and future demands.
Nursing System
Orem identified three types of nursing systems: Wholly compensatory system; Partly compensatory; Supportive-educative (developmental).