Application of Nursing Theory to Practice Paper (35%): Maximum of 7 pages excluding title page and references. Do not include an abstract with this paper. Upload the paper including the title page and reference page(s) into the Assignment Link located in Unit 14 in Course Materials. Review the directions regarding Safe Assign on Blackboard, the minimum number of references for this paper is 6.

Reflect on your practice and select a problem that you are interested in. Select a nursing middle range theory from the following list that you could apply to the problem.
    Health Promotion Model (Pender)
    Uncertainty in Illness Theory (Mishel)
    Theory of Comfort (Kolcaba)
    Theory of Chronic Sorrow (Eakes, Burke, & Hainsworth)
    Transitions Theory (Meleis) or situation specific Transitions Theory
    Caregiver Stress (Tsai)

If the theory is situation specific, the problem you choose must be congruent with it. If you want to choose a nursing middle range theory that is not on the list, you must receive permission from the professor. Develop a paper that includes the following:

    Introduction (20 points) Briefly introduce the problem that you have identified in a few sentences. If appropriate add statistics (for example if the problem you identified is diabetes in teenagers, you might want to cite the prevalence of this problem). Follow this with a couple of sentences about the theory you chose to guide nursing interventions. Remember, in the introduction you want to grab the readers attention. End the introduction with a purpose statement (The purpose of this paper is to).
    Description of Theory (15 points) Describe in detail the nursing middle range theory that you selected. This description must be accurate and in sufficient depth so that the reader will be able to understand important concepts and how they relate to one another. Use 2 or more primary sources to support the description of the theory.
    Application of the Theory in Research and/or Practice (15 points) Provide a brief overview of the literature that supports the use of this theory. This evidence must be in the form of research or application in the clinical setting. Please note that for this section three recent, peer reviewed articles meet the assignment criteria. The setting or population in these three articles does not have to be similar or the same as your problem. For example if the problem you identify is pain in elderly dementia patients and you are using Comfort Theory, the three articles you choose do not have to be about the use of Comfort Theory with elderly patients in pain. Any three recent peer reviewed articles that used Comfort Theory in research or practice can be included.
    Description of the Problem (5 points) Describe the problem in one paragraph. Be succinct, but provide sufficient detail in order for the reader to understand the problem.
    Application to Practice (20 points) Present an assessment of the problem using the theory as a guiding framework. Describe the problem and identify possible solutions in the form of intervention strategies. Identify the possible outcomes with the application of this theory.
    Alternate Theory (10 points) Identify a theory from another discipline that could also guide your practice in the same situation. Provide justification for using this theory. You may use your textbook as a secondary source for the alternate theory.
    Conclusions (10 points) Completely summarize your thoughts without introducing new content.

APA This paper must be presented in an organized and scholarly fashion following APA 7th edition guidelines. Up to seven (7) points can be deducted for the following: 
1.    Clarity 3 points
2.    References 2 points
3.    APA Format 2 points