Application of Theory to Practice Paper

Overview of Theory

This assignment focuses on applying a theoretical framework to a practice or other healthcare problem.  The theory you select needs to come from the literature that you covered this semester.  As Masters prepared nurses you are expected to have the knowledge to be a member on an interdisciplinary team that is transforming the delivery of healthcare services to address current problems in the delivery of healthcare, nursing education, nursing administration, and healthcare policy development.  Designing an Application of Theory to Practice Paper will help you to prepare for this role.  It is important that you understand how to apply theory to guide your research of the literature to identify best practice evidence to address issues and problems in delivering healthcare services.

When you select the theory it is important to consider how the theory framework (concepts) will shape the whole research process and where applicable how it will influence your intervention design.  The theory needs to guide the variables that you plan to measure and the measurement tools you will use to assess the variables.  Once you review the literature and collect the data the theory should help interpret the findings and be incorporated in the context of the theoretical framework.

Set your paper up using the following template and make sure you set the document up in APA format, provide a cover page with the name of your assignment, your name, the course number and the professor’s name, and a reference page.  Make sure to use each section heading in your paper that is in bold below:

Title: (Example- Application of Nola Pender’s Health-Promotion Model)

I.Overview of Theory – Include discussion of major concepts in the theory and describe the classification of the theory.  Is it a grand theory, or middle-range theory?  

II.Selection of Theory - Description of why you selected this theory to inform your research and application of interventions to address the problem.

III.Seven-Step Sequence in Translating Theory into Practice -  In 2-3 paragraphs describe that you will use the seven-step sequence of translating theories into evidence-based assessment tools, intervention protocols and any other practical actions you plan to take for setting up your application of the theory to practice.  Provide a brief description of each of the seven steps.  (You can find these steps with additional information in your Butts and Rich text in Chapter 26 – Using theory in evidence-based advanced nursing practice).

IV.Step 1 – Problem - Define the problem, provide at least 5 specific details on the problem and statistical evidence from the literature to support the need to address the problem.  Provide a statistic from the CDC, AHA, or other national regulatory body and from a state and local resource.

V.Step 2 – Research Question - Describe the research question about your problem using the PICOT format to develop your question. (PICOT stands for P-Patient Population, I-Intervention or Assessment, C-Group Comparison, O-Desired Outcome, T- Time).

VI.Step 3 - Application of Theory to Determine and Guide Variable Selection and Measurement – Describe the process you used to search the literature based on the theory concepts to guide your literature search for variables and classification of the empirical or non-empirical literature to be considered in the review (provided 3 specific details).  Describe if you are using a theory approach of empirical, aesthetic, ethical, personal knowing, or sociopolitical?  (Example; If your problem is to address access to healthcare services or other healthcare delivery issues then you want to choose a Sociopolitical theory as you consider the patients home, community health center resources, outpatient clinics, inpatient tertiary or rehab hospital or long-term care facilities.)

VII.Step 4 – Interpretation of Literature Findings – Describe your critical evaluation of the literature, and include an answer to the following question: What works for whom under what circumstances how, and why? Provide 3 specific examples to support what works for whom under what circumstances and why and how this impacts the problem.

VIII.Step 5 – Recommendations to Address Problem – Now that you have evaluated the literature for best practice guidelines and approaches to address the problem it is time to apply your clinical judgement and expertise to describe how the theory you selected corresponds with the best practice evidence and describe 3 recommendations and the innovative intervention you propose. 

IX.Step 6 – Plan to Evaluate the Innovative Action Outcomes – Describe how you plan to evaluate the effectiveness of your innovative action.  Provide 3 specific examples. 

X. Step 7 – Plan to Disseminate the Outcomes of the Innovation – Describe how you plan to disseminate the results of your innovation and to who you will disseminate to.  Provide 3 details on how you will disseminate the results and to whom 

XI. Summary  - Provide a 2 paragraph summary on how your theory was applied to identify the problem, create the PICOT question, search the literature to identify variables, the impact on your new idea or ideas for the innovative approach to address the problem, and the expected outcomes.