Introduction
When thinking about nursing there are many people who have had an influence in the field of nursing. Many frameworks for guiding practice as nurses are widely recognized and this paper will discuss King’s theory of goal attainment. King’s theory has three systems for interaction and those are personal, interpersonal, and social (Petiprin, 2016). Within each system there are many things that King’s theory addresses. King’s theory describes the nursing process and if that nursing process is utilized properly nurses can and will help patients achieve their goals (Fawcett, 2017).
King’s Conceptual Model
King’s theory is a middle range theory and is likely to support patient’s involvement during nursing care (da Silva & Ferreira, 2016). In King’s model there are four elements involved including a proper relationship between a nurse and a patient, the common knowledge among a nurse and a patient, mutual goals and function amongst nurse and patient, and nurses need to use all their information to form relationships and establish goals for patients (Adib-Hajbaghery & Tahmouresi, 2018). When nurses and patients work together goals are easier to attain. The goal of King’s theory was to help form a system so that nurses would have better interaction with patients and better help them participate in their care in order to establish methods to achieve the goals that were set between the nurse and the patient (da Silva & Ferreira, 2016).
Nursing Process
The steps of the nursing process are: assessment, nursing diagnosis, planning, implementations, and evaluation. There are always changes in nursing and being able to adapt to the changes and new knowledge is a huge part of the medical field (Butts & Rich, 2018). King’s theory states that assessment happens with interactions. As the nurse interacts with the patient the goals are set and hopefully attained (Adib-Hajbaghery & Tahmouresi, 2018). The goal attainment theory is a great example of the nursing metaparadigm. For instance, if a patient goes to the doctor for a headache and leaves with a prescription for blood pressure medication, the patient may not take the medication if they do not understand why they were prescribed it, thus not achieving the goal to relieve the headache by eliminating the cause. As a nurse, an open line of communication can be established, and the nurse can explain why they were given a medication for high blood pressure instead of something immediately for a headache. The nurse could also identify factors in the environment that are causing stress and increasing blood pressure to help reduce the risk factors and improve overall health (Adib-Hajbaghery & Tahmouresi, 2018). Nurses contribute special knowledge and skills whereas the patient brings information of him or herself. After communication and data collection a nursing diagnosis can be developed. The diagnosis will then help the team create an action plan and create interventions for the patient and nurse to put in place to hopefully achieve a goal. Having patient involvement in the planning and implementation phases are imperative to accomplishing goals. Implementing the plan and evaluating whether or not the goal was met are both a continuation of care and interaction between nurse and patient (Petiprin, 2016).
Value for Advance Practice Nurse
In advance practice nursing it is crucial to form relationships with patients and have a good rapport so that patients trust the nurse and the care they are receiving. When nurses have good relationships the concept of goal attainment is important in the care setting due to the fact that patients and providers have mutual goal that need to be achieved to obtain optimal overall health (Pereira Borges, Magalhães Moreira, Braz da Silva, Oliveira Loureiro & Bezerra de Meneses, 2017). When a nurse is able to effectively do their job and understand the needs of their patients it can help boost the excellence of care and improve quality of life. Communication is a vital part of the process between a nurse and a patient to establish trust and sustain optimal health. If a patient knows what they need to do, it is easier to get it done (Adib-Hajbaghery & Tahmouresi, 2018). Having goals and being able to achieve them is a lot of what drives people. If a patient has pain and seeks care for that pain, the goal is likely to eliminate the pain or significantly decrease that pain, and King’s theory is all about goal attainment.
Conclusion
King’s theory of goal attainment directly ties nurses and patients together to achieve a goal. When communication is optimal, and patients are happy with the care they receive from caregivers they are more likely to achieve their goals. The theory of goal attainment addresses the nursing practice and is easily implemented in advance practice nursing (Petiprin, 2016). King’s goal attainment theory properly addresses the nursing process, nursing metaparadigm and allows for implementation along the lines of advance practice nursing. For a goal to be attained there are multiple factors to consider including the nurse, patient, environment, and the overall health. When advance practice nurses and patients work together and trust one another goals can be set and achieved and King’s theory is a big part of that process (Butts & Rich, 2018).
