Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
THE article presented here is Part I of a two-part article on the nature and development of theory in a practice discipline. Part 1 deals with the relation of theory to practice and with the appropriate structure of any practice theory and, more particularly, of nursing theory. Part II, to be published in the November-December issue of Nursing Research, will deal with theory as a common denominator of research and practice.
Dickoff et al. (Sun,) studied this question.