Concept Analysis Diagram - Nutrition

Nursing Care

Directed toward what contributes to a normal concept and is thereby related to all factors involved in or with the concept. Not always needed to have a normal outcome.

Attributes

Defining characteristics of the concept
Whatproperty, quality, or data must be present for the concept to exist

Antecedents

What precedes the concept for it to exist
Events or incidents that must happen before the concept

Consequences

Untoward events or outcomes that occur due to malfunction within the concept
Positive events or outcomes that occur due to proper functioning within the concept

Interrelated Concept

Concepts which can affect change in the other
””Concepts which work together to ensure a normal process
Concepts which if depleted or impaired can cause a negative consequence in the other

Sub-Concept

Critical components of major concept

Explanation of Nutrition Diagram:

Nursing - Directed toward what contribution nursing would make to the concept and a positive consequence. Related to all factors involved in or with the concept. Not always needed to have a normal outcome. For example an individual may work with an outpatient dietician to learn what diet would have the most positive influence on their cardiovascular disease. This may result in a positive outcome without the involvement of nursing. The same individual in an acute care setting may have the same education from the dietician but they would also have nursing to reinforce and expand the education that takes place.

Before interventional measures can be organized and put into action, the negative consequences must be traced back to the contributing inefficient antecedent. Nursing interventions focus on enhancing antecedents to allow for optimal measurement of attributes resulting in positive consequences.

Definition of Nutrition – the process by which the body ingests, absorbs, transports, uses and eliminates nutrients and foods.

Attributes are characteristics of the concept. An individual who has adequate nutrition will have attributes that characterize adequate nutrition and therefore consequences that are positive. If attributes are not present the individual has an increased risk of experiencing negative consequences and further assessment may be needed.

Antecedentsare those circumstances that lead to the concept as defined. These circumstances must be present for nutrition to occur. If the antecedents are not present the individual’s nutrition could be suboptimal or inadequate. For example individuals who have limited access to nutritious foods may have inadequate ingestion of nutrients leading to malnutrition. Or the individual could have a disease of the colon such as Crohn’s Disease which could also lead to malnutrition. Nutrition is a concept that is related to most health and illness concepts.

Interrelated concepts are those affected by adequate or inadequate nutrition and those that influence nutrition. For example if an individual cannot ingest the nutrients needed for specific processes such as clotting, development, and/or maintaining their fluid and electrolyte balance than negative consequences can occur and illness can ensue. Cognition can be affected by nutrition and also can affect nutritional intake as in the case of Alzheimer’s disease. An individual’s religion and lifestyle can affect their nutrition and influence the consequences.

Consequencesare outcomes. They can be positive or negative based on an individual’s nutritional status. Suboptimal or inadequate nutrition can result in developmental delays, depression, loss of energy, fatigue, obesity, failure to thrive, delayed wound healing, muscle atrophy and even death. Malnutrition is on both sides of a nutritional continuum, less than body requirements on one end and more than body requirements on the other end. Health is somewhere in the middle and requires the antecedents to be present. Positive consequences or outcomes are those which indicate an individual is adequately nourished. These include; growth, tissue repair, homeostasis, ability to engage in physical activity, physiological and psychological wellness.

Sub-concepts are more specific than the general concept of nutrition. Sub-concepts are components/factors of nutrition such as age, genetics, ethnicity, allergies, and medications. Nutrition affects an individual’s health, and health/illness can affect an individual’s nutritional status.