Dorothea Orem's Theory

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Clarity Despite the comprehensiveness and the wide applications of Orem’s theory, there still some issues regarding its clarity. Orem’s theory is known for its multiple terms that can make the learner confused. According to Mendoza, et al (2004), most of the students who are studying Orem’s work are perplexed on the different terminologies with similar meanings. For example, Orem both defined self care and self care agency as learned behaviors/abilities that deliberately regulate human structural integrity, functioning and development. A similar definition is also noted on Self care action. Another is the difference between Therapeutic, Practical and Health deviation self care need/demand. All of these terms are defined as self care needs or…show more content…
But we can also say that without Orem’s multiple terminologies and highly detailed theories, applying it to hospital/community setting will be far more difficult because of its generality. Simplicity Dorothea Orem’s work is simple as it is, a person must have the ability to take care for himself. And if the person cannot do so, the nurse will do it for him. However, once you studied her theory more closely, you will see how complex it is. According to Alshamsi (1995), Orem’s work is like a simple wall clock. From the outside, it seems as plain as it can be but once you look inside it, you will be surprised to see the intricacy of its work. This is the reason why most undergraduate students volunteered to report Orem’s theory not knowing how tricky it is to differentiate all the terminologies and how to apply this in a hospital/community setting. Mendoza, et al (2004) also noted that students find Orem’s work “easy to explain but difficult to define”. This means that generally, the concepts of Orem are easy enough to explain but once you go deeper to her theory, they find it hard to define and differentiate her numerous terminologies and…show more content…
According to him, as general as it may look, Orem’s work is lacking some concepts which are vital to nursing care. He greatly stressed the lack mental health on this theory and the possible problems that may happen once Orem’s theory is applied in a healthcare setting. For example, a person who is a paranoid schizophrenic will not admit that he needs help regarding his self care demands. And without acceptance of the self care deficit, it will be difficult to care for the person if we are using Orem’s concepts. It is a fact that Orem’s theories are not perfect. The critiques may say anything they didn’t like about her theory. But what we say is that Dorothea Orem’s principles are great additions to the nursing profession. A lot of our practices today are present because of the concepts of Orem and other nursing
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