Nursing Theory Historical Timeline
Nursing theory has changed greatly over the years. That change occurred because of advancement in education and technology, which advanced nursing theories. These theories are what shapes the clinical practice and critical thinking process of nurses today. All of the theories available today started with one woman – Florence Nightingale.
1859 – Florence Nightingale established the first nursing theory which provides the basis of nursing today. Nightingale identified nursing as an art and a science. According to Selanders (2010), “Nightingale provides the profession with the expectation that nursing will be practiced by educated individuals using current research and methods (science) as well as compassion and common logic (art).”
1943 – Maslow developed the Hierarchy of Needs. This theory focuses on people’s basic need to survive as the foundation. Each level above that deals with the other essential elements of survival. Using this theory in nursing provides health care workers with the ability to prioritize patient care needs (Preceden, 2014).
1950’s – In this decade, the need for nursing administrators, faculty members, and graduate level educated nurses was acknowledged. In 1952, a nurse theorist named Peplau, launched the first post baccalaureate nursing program and also developed the Theory of Interpersonal Relations. This theory explored the relationship between nurse and patient. Theorists from this decade based their knowledge on the theory that nursing diagnoses were different than medical diagnoses.
1960’s – There were many different theories that developed in this decade. Nursing theorists of this time elaborated on the theories of their teachers of the previous decade such as interpersonal relations. Nursing theories of this decade explored what nurses do and how the patient perceives his or her