Middle range, or mid-range, nursing theories lie between the most abstract theories, such as grand nursing theories, models, or conceptual frameworks, and more circumscribed, concrete theories, such as practice theories. Compared to grand theories, mid-range theories are more specific, have fewer concepts, and encompass a more limited aspect of the real world. Concepts are relatively concrete and can be operationally defined.
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Nursing has appeared to recognize mid-range theory as the latest step in knowledge development, and there is broad acceptance of the need to develop mid-range theories to support nursing practice. Mid-range theories are also increasingly used in nursing research studies. Many researchers prefer to work with mid-range theories rather than grand theories or conceptual frameworks because they provide a better basis for generating testable hypotheses and addressing particular client populations. A review of nursing research journals and dissertation abstracts indicates that nursing research is currently being used in the development and testing of a number of mid-range theories, and mid-range theories are frequently being used as frameworks for investigation. Mid-range Theories – Nursing Essay Assignment Papers.
Students will consider the relationship between nursing knowledge and nursing practice, with emphasis on the relationship of mid-range theories to aspects of nursing practice, research, education, and administration. Mid-range Theories – Nursing Essay Assignment Papers.
Several methods for development of mid-range theories have been identified in the nursing literature. Mid-range theories emerge from combining research and practice and building on the work of others. Sources used to generate mid-range theory include literature reviews, qualitative research, field studies, conceptual models, nursing practice, clinical practice guidelines, theories from other disciplines, and statistical analysis of empirical data. Liehr and Smith identified five approaches for mid-range theory generation. The purpose of this module is to examine the purposes, characteristics, and concepts of mid-range theory and to describe the source and development process of mid-range theories from these five approaches.
Outcomes
Upon completion of the module, students will be able to:
understand the purposes of mid-range theories.
discuss the characteristics and concepts of mid-range theories.
describe the sources and development of mid-range theories.
develop a concept of interest into a preliminary mid-range theory.
Topics Index
The following topics are covered in this module.
Purposes of Mid-range Theory
Characteristics of Mid-range Theory
Concepts and Relationships for Mid-range Theories
Theories from Research and Practice
Theories from a Grand Theory
Combining Theories
Theories from Non-Nursing Disciplines
Theories from Practice Guidelines
These topics are designed to direct your readings, assist you in the development of assignments, and prepare you for module discussions.
1. Purposes of Mid-range Theory
Nursing theories vary in scope, or the level of abstraction. Theories that are broader in scope are called grand range theories. These theories are abstract and give broad perspective to the goals and structures of nursing practice. They are not testable, rather, they are viewed as knowledge-generated models from which hypotheses can be derived and tested, and they are useful as a theoretical framework for the development of mid-range theories. Middle range theories are limited in scope and contain a limited number of variables; they involve abstractions that are close enough to observed data to be incorporated in propositions that permit empirical testing. Thus, they can easily be taken to the operational level. They are theories that describe, explain, and predict phenomena of concern to nursing as well as prescribe actions in response to those phenomena. Mid-range Theories – Nursing Essay Assignment Papers.
Both grand and mid-range theories are important for knowledge development in the discipline of nursing. Grand theories are important to provide a larger picture of the phenomena. However, a deeper understanding about the relationships among those phenomena is provided by mid-range theories. Thus, the discipline of nursing has been concentrating its efforts in developing more mid-range theories, which are able to direct research and practice as well as strengthen the linkage among areas of theory, research, and practice.
Mid-range theories were first suggested in the discipline of sociology in the 1960s, and were introduced to nursing in 1974. At that time, mid-range theories were useful for emerging disciplines because they were more readily operationalized and addressed through research than grand theories. However, more than fifteen years elapsed before there was a collaborative call for mid-range theory development in nursing.
Development of mid-range theories is supported by the frequent critique of the abstract nature of grand theories and the difficulty of their application to practice and research. The purpose of mid-range theories is to describe, explain, or predict phenomena, and unlike grand theory, they must be explicit and testable. Therefore, they are easier to apply in practice situations and as frameworks for research studies. In addition, mid-range theories have the potential to guide nursing interventions and change conditions of a situation to enhance nursing care. A major role of mid-range theory is to define or refine the substantive component of nursing science and practice.
Each mid-range theory addresses relatively concrete and specific phenomena by stating what the phenomena are, why they occur, and how they occur. In addition, mid-range theories can provide structure for the interpretation of behavior, situations, and events. They support understanding of the connections between diagnosis and outcomes, and understanding of the connections between interventions and outcomes. Mid-range Theories – Nursing Essay Assignment Papers.
Overall, mid-range theories:
are more useful in research than grand theories because of their low level of abstraction and ease of operationalization
tend to support prediction better than grand theories due to circumscribed range and specificity of the concepts
are more likely to be adopted in practice because their relative simplicity eases the process of developing interventions for identified health problems.
Like theory in general, mid-range theory has three functions in nursing knowledge development: