Nursing Theory Resources: Middle Range Theories

Three-time recipient of the AJN Book of the Year Award! Praise for the third edition: “This is an outstanding edition of this book. It has great relevance for learning about, developing, and using middle range theories. It is very user friendly, yet scholarly." Score: 90, 4 Stars -Doody's Medical Reviews The fourth edition of this invaluable publication on middle range theory in nursing reflects the most current theoretical advances in the field. With two additional chapters, new content incorporates exemplars that bridge middle range theory to advanced nursing practice and research. Additional content for DNP and PhD programs includes two new theories: Bureaucratic Caring and Self-Care of Chronic Illness. This user-friendly text stresses how theory informs practice and research in the everyday world of nursing. Divided into four sections, content sets the stage for understanding middle range theory by elaborating on disciplinary perspectives, an organizing framework, and evaluation of the theory. Middle Range Theory for Nursing, Fourth Edition presents a broad spectrum of 13 middle range theories. Each theory is broken down into its purpose, development, and conceptual underpinnings, and includes a model demonstrating the relationships among the concepts, and the use of the theory in research and practice. In addition, concept building for research through the lens of middle range theory is presented as a rigorous 10-phase process that moves from a practice story to a conceptual foundation. Exemplars are presented clarifying both the concept building process and the use of conceptual structures in research design. This new edition remains an essential text for advanced practice, theory, and research courses. New to the Fourth Edition: Reflects new theoretical advances Two completely new chapters New content for DNP and PhD programs Two new theories: Bureaucratic Caring and Self-Care of Chronic Illness Two articles from Advances in Nursing Science documenting a historical meta-perspective on middle range theory development Key Features: Provides a strong contextual foundation for understanding middle range theory Introduces the Ladder of Abstraction to clarify the range of nursing’s theoretical foundation Presents 13 middle range theories with philosophical, conceptual, and empirical dimensions of each theory Includes Appendix summarizing middle range theories from 1988 to 2016

Continuing development and testing of propositions and formulations from nursing theory are critical for the continued evolution of nursing science. In this text, the editors and contributors highlight significant work in middle range theory development using King's Conceptual System and Theory of Goal Attainment. Explored in the three sections of this volume are: An overview of the foundations on which middle range theories are built from within King's Conceptual System, including a chapter by Dr. KingPresentation of a variety of middle range theories applied to individuals, groups and families, and organizations--from children to the elderlyExamination of post-middle range theory development and challenges for further nursing research and education Each chapter has a consistent format and includes a wide-range of perspectives and geographical locations, allowing readers to compare knowledge-building efforts across international lines.

"It is very exciting to see all of these studies compiled in one book. It can be read sequentially or just for certain transitions. It also can be used as a template for compilation of other concepts central to nursing and can serve as a resource for further studies in transitions. It is an excellent addition to the nursing literature." Score: 95, 4 Stars. --Doody's "Understanding and recognizing transitions are at the heart of health care reform and this current edition, with its numerous clinical examples and descriptions of nursing interventions, provides important lessons that can and should be incorporated into health policy. It is a brilliant book and an important contribution to nursing theory." Kathleen Dracup, RN, DNSc Dean and Professor, School of Nursing University of California San Francisco Afaf Meleis, the dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, presents for the first time in a single volume her original "transitions theory" that integrates middle-range theory to assist nurses in facilitating positive transitions for patients, families, and communities. Nurses are consistently relied on to coach and support patients going through major life transitions, such as illness, recovery, pregnancy, old age, and many more. A collection of over 50 articles published from 1975 through 2007 and five newly commissioned articles, Transitions Theory covers developmental, situational, health and illness, organizational, and therapeutic transitions. Each section includes an introduction written by Dr. Meleis in which she offers her historical and practical perspective on transitions. Many of the articles consider the transitional experiences of ethnically diverse patients, women, the elderly, and other minority populations. Key Topics Discussed: Situational transitions, including discharge and relocation transitions (hospital to home, stroke recovery) and immigration transitions (psychological adaptation and impact of migration on family health)Educational transitions, including professional transitions (from RN to BSN and student to professional)Health and illness transitions, including self-care post heart failure, living with chronic illness, living with early dementia, and accepting palliative careOrganization transitions, including role transitions from acute care to collaborative practice, and hospital to community practiceNursing therapeutics models of transition, including role supplementation models and debriefing models

As expected, this book is complex but it is also engaging, thought-provoking, and exciting because it helps nurses and other readers think deeply about meeting the needs of patients at their most vulnerable moments. Score: 94, 4 Stars--Doody's Medical Reviews Callista Roy, one of nursing's leading theorists and creator of the widely used Roy Adaptation Model of Nursing, presents a unique pathway for developing knowledge for nursing practice. Her book distills the most relevant information from 200 published research studies to provide a roadmap for progressing from nursing research to middle-range theory to optimum practice regimens. It is based on tested knowledge, clear evidence, and refined caring perspectives. Step by step, the text identifies and critiques research suited for developing cumulative knowledge for practice and uses the research to develop middle-range theories that apply across all health care settings. It then presents the evidence for practice for each middle range theory, refocuses EBP within nursing knowledge and within defined levels of readiness for practice, and recommends changes for practice based on evidence. Grounded in the Roy Adaptation Model of Nursing, the book provides a single conceptual basis for synthesis of research into middle range theories for use across all patient populations. It clarifies ways to select research from one conceptual basis to build middle-range theories, how to classify evidence for practice by levels of readiness, and recommend research-based changes in practice. The text includes quantitative and qualitative research designs and offers instruments to measure major concepts for implementation. Also included are plentiful examples, tables that display values across studies, definitions of major terms and concepts, and diagrams of concepts. Supplementing the text is a faculty guide for using the text to teach critical thinking at multiple graduate levels and videos illuminating each section of the book. Key Features: Explains clearly how middle-range theories grow from research Designed for implementation in practice Uses Roy's five core "adaptation" contexts as organizing themes: coping, changing life events, loss, chronic health condition, and traumatic events Constitutes a seminal work from a pre-eminent nursing theorist and educator Includes faculty guide and videos elucidating each section of the book