LYDIA HALL: BIOGRAPHY AND THEORY IN NURSING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Lydia Hall (1906-1969) was a leading American in rehabilitation nursing, preventive health, and public health. She developed the theory known as "care, core and cure" in the 1960s.

His theory has been taken as an example for many nursing students with the critical thinking approach and complete medical knowledge to treat those patients with chronic diseases.

Nursing, By Rebecca20162393, from Wikimedia Commons

Many modern nursing specialists think that Hall could not finish developing the theory in its entirety, because he died before finishing it. Her theory lacks applications in other important aspects, such as pediatrics.

Even so, his theory has been unique: the concepts that he applied (care, core and cure) are present in nursing today. The focus or role of the nurse is more in the circle of care than Hall's theory.

Biography

Early years and education

Lydia Hall was born on September 21, 1906 in New York, United States, with the name of Lydia Eloise Williams, in honor of her maternal grandmother. She was the first daughter of Louis Williams, a general practice physician, and her mother, Anna Ketterman Williams. Years later, Hall had a brother named Henry Williams.

His family moved from New York to York City, Pennsylvania, for his father's work. Hall graduated from the York Hospital School of Nursing in 1927, earning a degree in nursing.

Still, she felt the need to go back to school, so she entered Columbia University in New York, earning her bachelor's degree in public health nursing in 1932.

After several years in clinical practice, he decided to continue his studies by completing a master's degree in the teaching of natural life sciences at Columbia University in 1942. Years later, he completed a doctorate in which he fulfilled all his academic requirements except the thesis.

In 1945, she married the Englishman Reginald A. Hall. The nurse adopted her surname, by which she became known in later years.

Race

During her early years as a nurse, she focused on preventive health. This occurred at the Institute for Life Extension of the New York Metropolitan Insurance Company. In addition, she had the opportunity to work for the Heart Association from 1935 to 1940.

A year later, she became a staff nurse for the New York Visiting Nurses Association for seven years; In addition, she managed to defend the local community in the field of public health.

Then, in 1950, she became a professor at Teacher's College, where she managed to teach nursing students techniques to be medical advisers. She was also a research analyst in the field of cardiovascular disease.

Loeb Center

Later, Hall was motivated to work on research in the field of rehabilitation of chronically ill patients. Her interest led her to develop her theory of "care, core and cure", for which she became internationally recognized.

Hall was always interested in the recovery and well-being of her patients in her role as a professional nurse. For this, she became involved in the Loeb Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation at Montefiore Medical Center (CMM), in the Bronx, New York.

In 1957, a decision was made to expand the services of the center and CMM partnered with a hospital to build a new facility. The center's director, Martin Cherkasky, contacted Hall to run the company. He worked there from 1957 to 1962, taking care of the administration of the place.

Hall served as the general director of the Loeb Center for nursing and, more specifically, in clinical nursing, nursing education and research. The center became a role model for other institutions in the United States and Canada, which closely followed its path.

Last years

Lydia Hall has authored 21 publications, in addition to writing a large number of articles related to her theory. In 1967, she received the Academy Award for Nursing Alumni from the Master's Faculty.

On February 27, 1969, Lydia Hall died at Queens Hospital in New York, but there are no references to corroborate the cause of her death. Later, in 1984, she was inducted into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame.

Nursing theory

The circle of care

Lydia Hall established three independent but interconnected circles as a scheme. The circles consist of: the care, the core and the cure. Each one can grow or not depending on each case and each patient.

For the circle of care, Hall states that the focus of nurses is on the role of patient nutrition. Nurturing means feeding her, making her comfortable, and providing her with learning activities.

This circle defines the main role that nurses must fulfill; help the patient perform their basic biological functions. Doing all of these activities builds empathy between nurse and patient, which is paramount, according to Hall.

The core of the circle

For Hall, the core is the same patient who receives personalized nursing care. The patient as a nucleus must have goals established by himself and not by anyone else and behave according to his values.

In this sense, patient care is based on the social, emotional, spiritual and intellectual relationships carried out with the family, the institution and the community.

These Hall techniques are able to help the patient to express their feelings regarding the disease process by using a reflective method. Through this reflection, the patient can improve his own identity.

The healing circle

This part of Hall's theory refers to the administration of medications and treatment by the nurse to the patient. Hall emphasizes that this healing circle should be shared with other nurses or other health professionals, whether they are doctors or physical therapists.

During this aspect of care, the nurse must be a faithful advocate for the patient; You must advocate for the care plan that best suits the person you care for.

Ultimately, in the care phase, the nurse must concentrate on helping the patient in their daily activities. In the healing phase, through medical knowledge, the nurse addresses the social and communication needs of the patient.

References

1. Loeb Center for nursing records, Center for Nursing Portal, (nd). Taken from foundationnysnurses.org
2. Lydia Hall Nursing Theory, Geniusland Writers, (nd). Taken from geniolandia.com
3. Lydia E. Hall, Nurseslab Portal, (2014). Taken from nurseslabs.com
4. Lydia Hall, writers of The Truth about Nursing, (nd). Taken from truthaboutnursing.org
5. Towards the enlightened model of Lydia Hall's care core cure using the perspectives of ARUGA for holistic nursing needs of Filipino patients, Leocadio, MC, (2010). Taken from journals.lww.com