Nursing theory is defined as a structured view of phenomena that aims to improve patient care through systematic inquiry. Nursing theories provide frameworks to examine situations, make decisions, and guide reflection as new situations are encountered. Grand nursing theories have the broadest scope but are not designed for empirical testing, while middle-range theories offer a bridge between grand theories and practice by presenting lower-level concepts to guide research and strategies. Nursing practice theories have the most limited scope and are developed for specific nursing situations to provide frameworks for interventions and predict outcomes.

1. Nursing Theory

2. • Nursing theory is defined as "a creative and rigorous
structuring of ideas that project a tentative, purposeful, and
systematic view of phenomena".[1] Through systematic inquiry,
whether in nursing research or practice, nurses are able to
develop knowledge relevant to improving the care of patients.
Theory refers to "a coherent group of general propositions used
as principles of explanation".[

3. • Importance[edit]
• In the early part of nursing's history, there was little formal nursing
knowledge. As nursing education developed, the need to categorize
knowledge led to development of nursing theory to help nurses
evaluate increasingly complex client care situations.[3]

4. • Nursing theories give a plan for reflection in which to examine a
certain direction in where the plan needs to head.[4] As new situations
are encountered, this framework provides an arrangement for
management, investigation and decision-making

5. • Grand nursing theories[edit]
• Grand nursing theories have the broadest scope and present general
concepts and propositions.[8] Theories at this level may both reflect
and provide insights useful for practice but are not designed
for empirical testing. This limits the use of grand nursing theories for
directing, explaining, and predicting nursing in particular situations.

6. • Middle-range nursing theories are narrower in scope than grand
nursing theories and offer an effective bridge between grand nursing
theories and nursing practice. They present concepts and a lower
level of abstraction and guide theory-based research and nursing
practice strategies. One of the hallmarks of mid-range theory
compared to grand theories is that mid-range theories are more
tangible and verifiable through testing

7. • Nursing practice theories have the most limited scope and level of
abstraction and are developed for use within a specific range of
nursing situations. Nursing practice theories provide frameworks for
nursing interventions, and predict outcomes and the impact of
nursing practice.