Theory, Research and Evidence-Based Practice

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The research process encompasses numerous theoretical and practice elements. However, many nurse researchers and practitioners find it difficult to demystify the research process (Cantrell, 2011). Theoretical perspectives are used to explain the most controversial practice issues. Simultaneously, they motivate development of critical thinking skills and facilitate their successful application in evidence-based practice (Finn, 2009). The latest advances in nursing research suggest that critical thinking and theory are not the only components of evidence-based practice. “There is recognition that care should be based on evidence and critical thinking and assisted by new technology” (Tagney & Haines, 2009, p. 486). Even in the presence of the most advanced technologies, theories and conceptual models will remain a foundational pillar of effective nursing research and evidence-based practice.
According to Polit and Beck (2012), conceptual nursing models have become a popular element in research and practice. These models exemplify comprehensive formal explanations of what nursing is, how it works, how nursing care is delivered, and how the model’s developer perceives the essence of the nursing practice (Polit & Beck, 2012). Polit and Beck (2012) list a whole range of conceptual models of nurses, Levin’s Model of Conservation being one of them. Schaefer, Levine and Fawcett (1991) describe the model as incorporating the following concepts – adaptation, wholeness, and conservation. The latter is treated as a logical product of nurses’ adaptation and a concept, whose goal is to maintain the wholeness of patients’ health systems (Schaefer et al., 1991). The conservational principle covers conservation of energy, social integrity, personal and structural integrity (Schaefer et al., 1991). The given conceptual model remains a popular framework among nursing researchers and practitioners.
Levine’s conservation model was used by Mefford and Alligood (2011) in their article “Testing a Theory of Health Promotion for Preterm Infants Based on Levine’s Conservation Model of Nursing”, published in Journal of Theory Construction & Testing. The study was based on the fundamental assumption that neonatal nurses play a crucial role in a way preterm infants adapt to life outside of their mothers’ uterus (Mefford & Alligood, 2011). The purpose of the study was to test the applicability of the Theory of Health Promotion for Preterm Infants through the prism of Levine’s conceptual model. Mefford and Alligood (2011) write that Levine’s model is well suited for the analysis of preterm babies and their needs. The study is a good example of how conceptual and theoretical structures can help develop and operationalize research linkages between conceptual models and middle-range nursing theories (Mefford & Alligood, 2011). The results of the discussed study confirm the relevance of both the middle range theory of health promotion for preterm infants and Levine’s conservation model (Mefford & Alligood, 2011). They reinforce the view of nurses as central caregivers and providers of health promotion resources in neonatal settings (Mefford & Alligood, 2011).
It is not uncommon for nursing researchers to use conceptual models as examples of formal explanations of various nursing phenomena. However, the use of conceptual models as a prism for the analysis of middle-range theories is a rare occasion. The discussed study confirms that conceptual models of nursing are complex and multifaceted. They can be successfully applied in a variety of research settings and for a broad range of research purposes. The value of basing research on conceptual models and theories can hardly be overstated. The only question is how appropriate it is for nursing researchers to use conceptual models in the analysis of middle-range theories Conceptual models were not developed for the use in nursing research (Polit & Beck, 2012). Consequently, researchers should be particularly cautious when using conceptual models as the basis for their studies.