Three-time recipient of the AJN Book of the Year Award!

Praise for the third edition:

“This is an outstanding edition of this book. It has great relevance for learning about, developing, and using middle range theories. It is very user friendly, yet scholarly."

Score: 90, 4 Stars

-Doody's Medical Reviews

The fourth edition of this invaluable publication on middle range theory in nursing reflects the most current theoretical advances in the field. With two additional chapters, new content incorporates exemplars that bridge middle range theory to advanced nursing practice and research. Additional content for DNP and PhD programs includes two new theories: Bureaucratic Caring and Self-Care of Chronic Illness.

This user-friendly text stresses how theory informs practice and research in the everyday world of nursing. Divided into four sections, content sets the stage for understanding middle range theory by elaborating on disciplinary perspectives, an organizing framework, and evaluation of the theory. Middle Range Theory for Nursing, Fourth Edition presents a broad spectrum of 13 middle range theories. Each theory is broken down into its purpose, development, and conceptual underpinnings, and includes a model demonstrating the relationships among the concepts, and the use of the theory in research and practice. In addition, concept building for research through the lens of middle range theory is presented as a rigorous 10-phase process that moves from a practice story to a conceptual foundation. Exemplars are presented clarifying both the concept building process and the use of conceptual structures in research design. This new edition remains an essential text for advanced practice, theory, and research courses.

New to the Fourth Edition:

Reflects new theoretical advancesTwo completely new chaptersNew content for DNP and PhD programsTwo new theories: Bureaucratic Caring and Self-Care of Chronic IllnessTwo articles from Advances in Nursing Science documenting a historical meta-perspective on middle range theory development

Key Features:

Provides a strong contextual foundation for understanding middle range theoryIntroduces the Ladder of Abstraction to clarify the range of nursing’s theoretical foundationPresents 13 middle range theories with philosophical, conceptual, and empirical dimensions of each theoryIncludes Appendix summarizing middle range theories from 1988 to 2016

Patricia R. Liehr