A comparative analysis of Orem's self-care model and Peplau's interpersonal theory.

The process of choosing a nursing model or theory to guide one's clinical practice, curriculum development or theoretical framework for research can be facilitated by analysis of and comparison of existing theories, with each other and then with one's personal philosophies. This paper summarizes the major concepts and assumptions of Dorothea Orem's self-care model and Hildegard Peplau's interpersonal theory, and then compares the two for similarities and differences in their origins of theory development, meanings related to nursing metaparadigm concepts, logical adequacy, usefulness and generalizability, parsimony and testability.