title: Collaborative development of middle-range nursing theories: toward a theory of unpleasant symptoms.
abstract: One promising approach to strengthening theory-research and theory-practice linkages is to place greater emphasis on developing and using theories of the middle range to underpin nursing research and practice. In this article, a postpositivistic definition of middle-range theory is advanced, an argument is made for shifting nursing's theory development activities from discipline-defining grand theories to middle-range theories, and a collaborative and incremental approach to middle-range theory development is described and illustrated. A sustained substantive example is provided by the beginning development of a theory of unpleasant symptoms.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, USA.
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Lenz
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Suppe
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Gift
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Pugh
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Milligan
mesh_terms: D004417:Dyspnea / Q000150:complications / Q000451:nursing; D005221:Fatigue / Q000150:complications / Q000451:nursing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009742:Nursing Theory; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000451:nursing