Conceptual analysis of self-care agency

The concept of self- care agency was developed by Orem (1980) as a component of Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory (SCD-NT). Since its development, self-care agency concept has been applied widely in the discipline of nursing to determine the relationship between self-care agency and other concepts of the Orem SCD-NT in various populations. In this paper, the author analyzes the concept of self-care agency using Wilson’s Conceptual Analysis Method as modified by Walker & Avant (1995). In particular, the use of the self-care agency concept is considered as it relates to conditioning factors, self-care actions, and specific outcomes in nursing research and practice.