Imogene King was an American nurse theorist who developed the Goal Attainment Theory. Some key facts about King include that she was born in 1923 in Iowa and received her BSN and MSN from St. Louis University in 1957. King's Goal Attainment Theory focuses on the interpersonal nurse-patient relationship and uses a systems approach. The theory proposes that nurses interact with patients on three levels - personal, interpersonal, and social systems - to establish relationships and help patients achieve their health goals. When nurses and patients are able to accurately understand each other, agree on goals, and work together to achieve those goals, satisfaction and efficient nursing care are achieved according to King's theory.

1. Imogene King’s
Goal Attainment Theory
Esther Ellise Abundo BSN1B

2. Getting to know the
Theorist
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● Born in West Point, Iowa on January
30, 1923; youngest of three children
● Completed her diploma in nursing
education at St. John’s Hospital, St
Louis, Missouri in 1945.
● Received her BSN and MSN in Nursing
from St .Louis University in 1957.
● Obtained her Doctorate in Education
from Columbia University, N.Y.
● Passed away last December 24, 2007
in St. Petersburg, Florida, 2 days after
suffering from stroke and is buried in
Fort Madison, Iowa.

3. King’s Nursing
Experience
Staff Nurse
Instructor
Assistant Director
Director
Professor
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4. Nursing Theory
In 1981, she refined her concepts into a nursing
theory that consisted of the following basis:
✘ An open system framework as the basis of goal
attainment.
✘ Nursing as a major system within the healthcare
system.
✘ Nursing process emphasis on interpersonal
processes.
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5. Goal Attainment Theory
A Systems Theory developed by Imogene King which
focuses on the interpersonal system and the
interactions that take place between individuals,
specifically in the nurse-patient relationship.
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6. Goal Attainment Theory
✘ King used a “systems” approach in the development
of her Dynamic Interacting Systems Framework and
in her subsequent Goal-Attainment Theory.
✘ These are used to establsih a nurse-client
relationship and utilized by the nurse to form a
strong foundation for a dynamic and interactive
environment.
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7. Goal Attainment Theory
✘ King discussed three health needs of human beings:
✗ Need for information.
✗ Need for care for illness prevention and
✗ Need for total care when a person doesn’t have
the capacity to help themselves.
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8. Interacting
Systems
Framework
Three systems in the
conceptual framework:
✘ Personal
✘ Interpersonal
System
✘ Social Systems
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Study systems as a whole rather than as isolated parts of a system.

9. Interacting Systems
Framework
✘ King proposed that the nurse interacts in the
simultaneously at three different levels. These levels are
independent and at the same time co-exist to influence
over-all nursing practice.
✗ Personal- how the nurse views and integrates self
based from personal goals and beliefs
✗ Interpersonal- how the nurse interrelates with a
co-worker ar patient, particularly in a nurse-patient
relationship.
✗ Social- how the nurse interacts with co-workers,
superiors, subordinates and the client environment
in general.
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Study systems as a whole rather than as isolated parts of a system.

10. Personal System
✘ The Individual.
✘
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Interpersonal System
✘ Individuals interacting with one another.
Social System
✘ Groups of people in a community/society
sharing common goals, interests, and
values.

11. Goal Attainment Theory
✘ Elements are seen in the interpersonal systems in
which two people, who are usually strangers, come
together in a healthcare organization to help and be
helped to maintain a state of health that permits
functioning of roles.
✘ Reflects King’s belief that the practice of nursing is
differentiated from other healthcare professions by
what nurses do with and for individuals.
✘ Nurse and client communicate information, set goal
mutually and then act to attain those goals.
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12. Metaparadigms in Nursing
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13. Person
✘ Existing in open system that
✗ Is a spiritual being and
rational thinker who makes
choices, selects alternative
courses of action, and has
the ability to record their
history through their own
language and symbols,
unique, holistic and have
different needs, wants and
goals.
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14. Person
✘ Has three fundamental needs:
✗ Information on health that
can be accessed and
utilized when needed.
✗ Cae that aims to prevent
illness.
✗ Care in times of
illness/helplessness.
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15. Health
✘ Involves dynamic life
experiences of a human
being, which implies
continuous adjustment to
stressors in the internal
and external environment
through optimum use of
one’s resources to achieve
maximum potential fro
daily living.
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16. Environment
✘ Background for human interactions
✗ Internal Environment
■ Transforms energy to
enable person to
adjust to continuous
external environmental
changes.
✗ External Environment
■ Involves formal and
informal organizations.
Nurse is a part of the
patient’s environment.
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17. Nursing
✘ An act wherein the nurse
interacts and communicates
with the client.
✗ Helps identify the
existing condition.
✗ Helps the client
identify the existing
health condition,
exploring and
agreeing on activities
to promote health
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18. Theoretical Assertion
From the Theory of Goal Attainment
Imogene King developed predictive
propositions.

19. “
If a continuous accuracy is
currently in a nurse-patient
interaction, a transaction will
happen.
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20. “
If nurse and client will make
transaction, goal will be
attained.
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21. “
If goals are attained,
satisfaction will occur.
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22. “
If goals are met, efficient
nursing care will happen.
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23. “
If transactions are made in
nurse-client interactions,
growth and development will
be enhanced.
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24. “
If role anticipation and
performance in the nurse and
patient are the same,
transactions will happen.
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25. “
If role disagreement is
experienced by nurse or client
or both, stress would be the
result.
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26. “
If nurse with special
knowledge and skill
communicate appropriate
information to client, the
same goals and
accomplishment will happen.
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27. The interaction of the person and the
nurse is goal-directed and through this,
both parties reach a common and
accurate perception of the problem and
means are explored on how to resolve it.
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28. After the means of exploration,
goal-setting is made which is subject for
agreement.
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29. Finally, transaction happens when the
agreed goals are acted upon and
necessary actions are taken to achieve
them. Finally, if the goals are attained,
satisfaction will occur and health need will
be fulfilled.
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