summary: A theory can be used to guide practice.  This assignment is an exercise in supporting a clinical practice with theory and evidence.

Directions: Identify an outcome of nursing practice in your area of practice that can be improved.  For example, if you work in home health, you may identify that throw rug use by fall risk patients is too prevalent.  You may be able to use the problem that inspired the theory concepts that you developed in week two. Identify the concept in Watson’s Theory of Caring that could represent or include the outcome.  In our example, the outcome would be the changes in self through the change in the patient’s floor covering practice. Identify a practice that can be changed or implemented that may influence the outcome. Identify the concept in Watson’s Theory of Caring that includes the practice.  In our example, the practice could be to improve the understanding of fall hazards through the engagement in a teaching-learning experience, one of Watson’s Caritas Processes. Identify exactly how these two concepts will be measured with their operational definitions. Develop a proposition between the two. Present your outcome in an APA formatted paper  meeting the University’s standards for a written assignment.

Expectations

• Length: 5 to 7 pages including title and reference pages
• References: 3 to 10.  There should be enough to support the links between the concepts of the problem and the concepts of Watson’s Theory of Caring.

See USU NUR Research Paper Rubric for additional details and point weighting.