Nursing Theory Lecture 3: Dorothea Orem

Dorothea Orem 

(1970, 1985) 

Self-Care Deficit Theory 

Self-Care Deficit Theory 
•Defined Nursing: “The act of assisting others in the provision and management of self-care to maintain/improve human functioning at home level of effectiveness.”
•Focuses on activities that adult individuals perform on their own behalf to maintain life, health and well-being.
•Has a strong health promotion and maintenance focus.
•Identified 3 related concepts:
1.Self-care - activities an Individual performs independently throughout life to promote and maintain personal well-being.
2.Health - results when self-care agency (Individual’s ability) is not adequate to meet the known self-care needs.
3.Nursing System - nursing interventions needed when Individual is unable to perform the necessary self-care activities:
          Wholly compensatory - nurse provides entire self-care for the client. (Example: care of a new born, care of client recovering from surgery in a post-anesthesia care unit)
          Partial compensatory - nurse and client perform care; client can perform selected self-care activities, but also accepts care done by the nurse for needs the client cannot meet independently. (Example: Nurse can assist post operative client to ambulate, Nurse can bring a meal tray for client who can feed himself)
          Supportive-educative - nurse’s actions are to help the client develop/learn their own self-care abilities through knowledge, support and encouragement. (Example: Nurse guides a mother how to breastfeed her baby, Counseling a psychiatric client on more adaptive coping strategies.)