NURS 801
Theory Paper
The purpose of this assignment is to expose you to a variety of theories and to
evaluate their potential usefulness for guiding nursing practice within a primary
health care framework. Using a clinical case study, each student will illustrate how
selected theories may be used to guide nurses in their decision making to improve
outcomes for individuals, families, communities, or populations.
Use the readings throughout the semester as well as additional scholarly source
materials. The paper should follow APA 7
th edition (2020) guidelines for style,
formatting, and referencing. The paper must not exceed 10 pages, double spaced
(excluding title page and references). No abstract is needed.
I. Problem and Context (10%)
Begin by identifying a clinical practice area of interest (You can use the same topic
you are working on in NURS 804). Reflect on your practice and identify an where
nurses working with individuals, families, communities, or populations needed to
address a particular issue/problem related to this clinical practice area in order to
improve patient outcomes.
In 1-2 pages, provide a summary of the clinical scenario including:
• Describe the presiding issue/problem, including relevant
prevalence/incidence data.
• Identify the individual/family/community/population impacted by the
issue/problem (include demographic characteristics such as: gender, age,
culture, occupation, social background, education, diagnosis, etc.).
• Explore an areas nurses may target for related to issue/problem.
• Conclude this section with a thesis/purpose statement for this paper.
II. Theory Description and Critical Reflection (30%)
• Present two theories to describe this issue/problem and that could be
used to guide a practice improvement around this area.
o Select one from nursing and one borrowed theory.
o Briefly describe how each theory pertains to the issue/problem of
interest.
• Select one of these theories that you can apply to guide a practice
improvement related to the issue/problem and explain the rational for
the selection of this theory.
• Develop a description and critical reflection of the theory you have
selected for application.
o Use Chinn & Kramer’s (2004) description and critical reflection
questions to guide you (not all the questions will be relevant in
your theory). The description should be sufficient to allow the
audience to understand the basic elements and should include
NURS 801
concrete examples from the case scenario and clinical practice.
III. Clinical Practice Improvement Model (10%)
Identify an evidence-based practice and/or quality improvement model that can be
used to guide a clinical practice change. Explain your rational for selecting this
model.
IV. Application of Theory to Practice (30%)
Examine how the chosen theory can be used as a “lens” to describes the clinical
issue/problem related to the individual/family/community/population and how the
theory can offers guidance to the development of a clinical practice improvement
around the problem/issue. Use the following as a guide—
• Assess the clinical practice problem/issue in terms of the chosen theory.
(e.g., use the language found in the theory with supporting references to
assess the situation).
• Using the chosen evidence-based practice and/or quality improvement
model, briefly outline a plan, consistent with the theory, for practice
improvement or implementation of a health promoting strategy related to
the issue/problem. (Use references to support the strategies you are
considering.)
• Identify expected outcomes/evaluation criteria consistent with the theory.
(Use references to support the expected outcomes.)
V. Conclusion (10%)
Explain your overall judgments about the theory you selected to describe the
issue/problem and guide practice improvement based upon your description and
critical reflection. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the application of this
theory presented in relation to the issue/problem?
VI. Scholarship (10%)
The paper is to be presented in an organized and scholarly fashion, following APA,
2020 (7
th edition) style and formatting. You are required to submit a draft of your
work to Turnitin, review the originality report, and make any edits prior to
submitting the final paper for evaluation. The paper must not exceed 10 pages,
double spaced (excluding title page and references). No abstract is needed. Faculty
will not read beyond the page limit.
Total = 100%
NURS 801
Abbreviated Version of Chinn and Kramer Description and Critical
Reflection
Description of Theory
• Who developed the theory?
• What is the purpose of the theory?
• What are the concepts of this theory?
• How are the concepts defined within the theory?
• What is the nature of the relationships within the theory?
• What is the structure of the theory?
• On what assumptions does the theory build?
Critical Reflection of Theory
• How clear is the theory?
• How simple is the theory?
• How general is the theory?
• How accessible is the theory?
• How important is the theory?