Free «King's Theory of Goal Attainment» Essay

The primary purpose of King’s Theory of Goal Attainment is to provide support and guidance to nurses in complicated nurse-patient relationships. In other words, the title of the theory developed by Imogene King serves as a hint that it aims at strengthening relations and mutual cooperation among nurses and patients who should always go hand-in-hand in communicating information, setting clear goals and missions and finally, taking immediate actions in order to turn their mutual plans into reality. This essay will shed light on the essence and meaning of King’s theory from the conceptual model and grand theories. Moreover, much attention will be paid to the application of this theory to the nursing practice.

Taking into account the historical perspective, this dynamic theory was developed and introduced in 1960s (Masters, 2014). In addition, it was formulated when nursing was only emerging as an autonomous and independent profession and had to overcome numerous challenges that threw doubts on the place and importance of nurses in the society. According to the information promoted by this theory, nursing should be viewed as an ongoing process that involves actions, reactions and finally, interactions among nurses and their patients (Smith & Parker, 2015).

Through the effective communication and cooperation, nurses and patients are responsible not only for setting certain goals but also for finding and exploring different means of achieving these goals by both parties. According to the estimations of the author of this theory, the main goal of every nurse is to assist patients in maintaining their physical, emotional, and psychological health and well-being (Smith & Parker, 2015). The primary obligation of professional and responsible caregiver is to restore, improve, and contribute to the health of the people in need. In addition, Imogene King’s Theory of Goal Attainment encompasses three major interdependent systems including personal, interpersonal, and social systems (Smith & Parker, 2015). Moreover, the author differentiates a set of concepts that are directly related to each system. For instance, perception, sustainable growth, continuous development, and time are the core concepts that describe a personal system (Smith & Parker, 2015). On the contrary, interaction among nurses and patients, communication, and transaction process are the main terms that define interpersonal system. Finally, the most important concepts that characterize the social system are as follows: authority, decision-making process, organization, and many others (Smith & Parker, 2015).

Having defined and explained the essence of the King’s Theory of Goal Attainment from the conceptual model and grand theories, it is possible to stress that it may and should be applied in the nursing practice. In other words, this theory may be extensively used in numerous nursing situations because it controls and guides the nurses in the dynamic and challenging health-care environment. Furthermore, it educates them how to treat the patients in order not to put at risk their health and well-being as well as how to cope with challenges and promote effective communication (Masters, 2014). Therefore, nurses should rely on the theory because it is an effective theoretical guide that facilitates their interaction with patients and enhance their cooperation. Moreover, the influence of King’s Theory of Goal Attainment on the nursing practice is enormous since it teaches the nurses to clearly define and interpret needs and desires of patients. In addition, it provides the most effective solutions to problems patients and nurses usually face. What is more, the theory proves that the patients’ assistance is crucially important for the nurses because it results in positive health outcomes. Thus, King’s Theory of Goal Attainment is applicable to the nursing practice because it has a positive impact on nursing care delivery system.