NUR 513 Topic 5 DQ 1 During this program, you will complete an evidence-based practice project addressing a problem, issue, or concern in your specialty area of professional practice. Consider an area in your specialty that you believe needs improvement. Which nursing theories could you apply to this problem? Why is this the best theory?

NUR 513 Topic 5 DQ 1 During this program, you will complete an evidence-based practice project addressing a problem, issue, or concern in your specialty area of professional practice. Consider an area in your specialty that you believe needs improvement. Which nursing theories could you apply to this problem? Why is this the best theory?

My area of specialty is hemodialysis. The majority of the patients I care for are of the low-income, elderly, African-American population. One of the problems faced with care is patient education on disease management and prevention. The main causes of kidney disease in this population are poorly managed diabetes and hypertension. One solution to this problem is to improve patient education interventions. As healthcare providers, we have a major role in improving patient teaching regarding disease management and illness prevention. Several nursing theories focus on patient education for health promotion. One of those theories is The Self-Efficacy Theory.

The Self-Efficacy Theory, or Social Cognitive Theory, was developed in 1977 by a psychologist named Albert Bandura. Self-efficacy is one’s belief that their behaviors can produce desired effects. Bandura defined self-efficacy as “the individual’s perception of one’s ability to perform particular behaviors through four processes including cognitive, motivational, affective, and selection processes” (Shorey & Lopez, 2021). Behavior changes play a major role in disease management and illness prevention. Bandura felt that a person’s self-efficacy determines how they respond to problems. Persons with high efficacy are more likely to succeed when dealing with problems. Bandura listed three factors that make up a person’s self-efficacy; behavior, environment, and cognitive factors (Petiprin, 2023). When dealing with patient teaching, nurses must determine the patient’s level of cognition. Nurses should also determine what is the self-efficacy of their patients and tailor their teaching plans accordingly. Shorey and Lopez found that for patients with chronic medical conditions, higher levels of self-efficacy to manage their chronic conditions are related to higher health-related quality of life, reduced perceived stress, lesser anxiety and depressive symptoms, and lower symptom severity (2021).

Petiprin, A. (2023). Self-Efficacy Theory. Nursing Theory. https://nursing-theory.org/theories-and-models/self-efficacy-theory.php

Shorey, S. & Lopez, V. (2021). Self-Efficacy in a Nursing Context. In G. Haugan & M. Eriksson (Eds), Health Promotion in Health Care-Vital Theories and Research (Chapter 12). Cham Springer. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK585659/