Nursing Health History Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Nursing Health History - Case Study Example Two months later, Dorothy noticed that the wound is becoming bigger and worse and has moved up to the lower portion of the leg. The persistence of this wound prompted the patient to consult the emergency department of the hospital. Dorothy does not smoke, but claims to drink a few glasses of wine on occasion. She leads a sedentary lifestyle, performing minimal household chores. Tending to her garden every morning is the most exercise that she does. There is history of Diabetes Mellitus on the maternal side of the patient, while on the paternal side, there is history of hypertension. Despite this knowledge, Dorothy still liked eating cakes and pastries. There is no history of asthma. In 1971, she published her nursing concepts of practice known as the Self Care theory (Berman, Erb, Kozier, & Snyder, 2004). She sought to answer the questions "what is nursing" and "when do people need nursing care", from which she concluded that people need nursing when they are unable to care for themselves (Delaune & Ladner, 2006). Orem's Self Care theory revolves around four concepts: (1) self care; (2) self care agency (which consists of two agents: the self care agent and a dependent care agent); (3) self care requisites; and (4) therapeutic self care demand (Berman, Erb, Kozier, & Sydney, 2004). ... self care; (2) self care agency (which consists of two agents: the self care agent and a dependent care agent); (3) self care requisites; and (4) therapeutic self care demand (Berman, Erb, Kozier, & Sydney, 2004). Self care pertains to the activities an individual practices independently throughout the course of life to promote and maintain health and wellness, while self care agency refers to the individual's ability to carry out these activities (Berman, Erb, Kozier, & Sydney, 2004). The self care agent is the independent individual who cares for himself, while the dependent care agent is another person who provides the care. Examples of a self care agent and a dependent care agent are adults and children respectively (Berman, Erb, Kozier, & Snyder, 2004). Lastly, therapeutic self care demand pertains to every activity done by an individual to fulfill self care demands, which stems from the need to be responsible (Berman, Erb, Kozier, & Sydney, 2004). In short, it refers to actions taken to maintain health and wellness. Self Care Deficit Model courtesy of www.nursing.uiowa.edu Self care is performed by oneself for oneself. It is a gradually learned and deliberate behavior for the purpose of bringing about a condition of well-being (Delaune & Ladner, 2006). It is an individual's right and at the same time a personal responsibility. It may be effective or ineffective, and therapeutic and non-therapeutic (University of Iowa, n.d.). According to this theory, it is the self care deficit that presents the need for nursing care, not the medical condition (Delaune & Ladner, 2006). Self care deficit is subdivided into three categories: universal self care requisites, developmental self care requisites, and health deviation self care requisite