The SelfCare

Deficit
Nursing
Theory

Dorothea E. Orem
The Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory
The patient is 41 years old and lives in Buenlag, Mangaldan, Pangasinan. He was
admitted on May 7, 2015. His Admitting Diagnosis is Fracture Closed Complete
Subtrochanteric Area Femur Right. He has a skeletal traction weighing 15 lbs hanging freely.
He said he was on a tricycle when it happened. The patient and his passenger suffered a
similar fracture but he has lesser injuries. He was admitted first on a hospital in Pangasinan.
He decided to be admitted in the Benguet General Hospital and Medical Center. It is because
he said there was no improvement on his condition. The patient stated that it was his first
time being hospitalized. Although this incident was new to him, he has a positive attitude.
He is collaborating to every nursing intervention and seeks for additional knowledge
regarding his condition.
The Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory has major concepts: Nursing as art through
which the practitioner of nursing gives specialized assistance to persons with disabilities
which makes more than ordinary assistance necessary to meet needs for self-care; Humans
are defined as men, women, and children cared for either singly or as social units, and
whom the nurses provide direct care. Environment includes the family, culture and
community; Health is a state that encompasses both the health of individuals and of groups;
Self-care is the performance of activities that individuals initiate and perform on their own
behalf to maintain life, health and well-being; Self-care agency is the humans ability or
power to engage in self-care and is affected by basic conditioning factors; Basic conditioning
factors are age, gender, developmental state, health state, sociocultural orientation, health
care system factors, family system factors, patterns of living, environmental factors, and
resource adequacy and availability; Therapeutic Self-care Demand is the totality of self-care
actions to be performed for some duration in order to meet known self-care requisites by
using valid methods and related sets of actions and operations; Self-care Deficit is when a
nurse is required when an adult is incapable of or limited in the provision of continuous
effective self-care.; Nursing Agency is a complex property of people educated and trained as
nurses that enables them to act, to know, and to help others meet their therapeutic self-care
demands by exercising or developing their own self-care agency; Nursing System is the
product of a series of relations between the persons: This system is activated when the
clients therapeutic self-care demand exceeds available self-care agency, leading to the
need for nursing. The theory has subconcepts, the Self-care Requisites and The Three Basic
Nursing Systems. Under Self-care Requisites there are three which are Universal self-care
requisites, Developmental self-care requisites, and Health deviation self-care requisites. The
Universal self-care requisites is associated with life processes and the maintenance of the
integrity of human structure and functioning. Example of this is ADLs. These requisites is
identify as: Maintenance of sufficient intake of air ,water, food; Provision of care assoc with
elimination process; Balance between activity and rest, between solitude and social
interaction; Prevention of hazards to human life well being and Promotion of human
functioning.
One of the priorities of nurses is the ADLs of a patient especially when they have
disabilities that assistance is necessary. This can be applied on the patient who has a
skeletal traction. This immobilized them and limits their ability to care for themselves. One
of the Universal self-care requisites is sufficient intake of air thats why as a nurse we keep
the place of the patient well ventilated. Second is the sufficient intake of water. Always, we
advise our patient to increase fluid intake up to 2-3L a day to prevent dehydration. Third is
the sufficient intake of food. Although the dietician makes the meal of the patients, we
ensure that they consume their meals. Provision of care associated with elimination process
and excrements should be monitored especially if the patient id constipated. Maintaining
balance between activity and rest affects the patient. When a patient is doing ROM exercises
or ambulation, we assist but we make sure that the patient does not exert too much effort to

avoid fatigue. Balance between solitude and social interaction is a must. Sometimes we tend
to converse with the patient as one of his/her diversional activities. But at the same time
giving them privacy or providing space. We prevent hazards to human life, human
functioning, and human well-being by being on their side or securing that the patient is not
at risk for fall, injury or infection. Human functioning and development within social groups
are also promoted. With the patients potential, limitations and strengths they can achieve
development in self care.
As healthcare professionals who provide direct care, nurses can assist with the changes by
providing educational opportunities and strategies that increase self-care of the patient, thus
making a positive impact on patient quality of life.
Literature Cited:
Nursing Theories. 2012. Dorothea Orem's Self-Care Theory. Accessed on May 15, 2015 and
Retrieved at
http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/self_care_deficit_theory.html
nursingtheories. 2011. Dorothea E. Orem. The Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory. Accessed on
May 15, 2015 and
Retrieved at http://nursingtheories.weebly.com/dorothea-e-orem.html
Simmons. 2009. Dorthea Orem's self care theory as related to nursing practice in
hemodialysis. Accessed on May
15, 2015 and Retrieved at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19715109