Summary

Educational Background:

• Diploma, St. John's Hospital School of Nursingk St. Louis, MO - 1945

• BS in Nursing Education, St. Louis University - 1948

• MSN, St. Louis University - 1957

• Doctor of Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1961

• Honorary PhD, Southern Illinois University - 1980

Professional Background

Dr. King began her academic career at St. Louis University, spent several years at Loyola University in Chicago, and then went to the University of South Florida, where she is now professor emeritus.  

Imogene King's model is a model of three interacting systems: personal, interpersonal, and social.  In her theory of goal attainment, she states that client goals are met through the transaction between nurse and client.  The model can be applied to all settings.  Her ideas were influenced  by systems theory (von Bertalanffy) and interaction theory. Her model is based on systems theory but has also been classified as an interaction model.  

King describes her model as a conceptual system and the goal of nursing as bringing a person closer to a healthy state (King, 1997, 2001).  The conceptual system has three interacting systems, the personal, the interpersonal, and the social.  The nurse and the person interact toward a goal.  The end-point of this interaction, which occurs over time, is transaction, at which the person's goal is met.

References

King, I. M. (1997). King's theory of goal attainment in practice. Nursing Science Quarterly, 10, 180-185.

King, I. M. (2001). Theory of goal attainment. In M. Parker (Ed.). Nursing theories and nursing practice. Philadelphia: Davis, 275-286.

Sources

George, J. B. (2002).  Systems framework and theory of goal attainment--Imogene M. King.  In George, J.B. (Ed.), Nursing Theories the Base for Professional Nursing Practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Summary by Becky Sisk, PhD, RN

Students -- As with all of the articles on NurseScribe, consider this to be a secondary source and use the primary sources in  the references to write a paper or make a presentation.

Websites

• A Note from Dr. King

• Imogene King's Interacting Systems Theory: Application in emergency and rural nursing, by Leigh Ann Williams - Paper based on King's theory

• Induction into the ANA Hall of Fame (.pdf document - requires Adobe reader; download here)

Books Available from Amazon.com

A Theory for Nursing

by King, 1981

Imogene King: A Conceptual Framework for Nursing (Notes on Nursing Theories, Vol. 2)

by Evans & Sieloff, 1991

Advancing King's Systems Framework and Theory for Nursing

by Frey, Sieloff, & King, 1995

Nursing Theories and Nursing Practice

by Parker (Ed.), 200

Nursing theories: The case for professional nursing practice (5th Ed.)

by George (Ed.), 2002

Nursing theorists and their work (5th Ed.)

by Tomey & Alligood (Eds.), 2002

Publications by Imogene King

• King, I. M. (1968). A conceptual frame of reference for nursing. Nursing Research, 17, 27-31.

• King, I. M. (1975). A process for developing concepts for nursing through research. In P. J. Verhonick (Ed.), Nursing research I . Boston: Little, Brown & Co.

• King, I. M. (1995). A systems framework for nursing. In M. A. Frey & C. L. Sieloff (Eds.), Advancing King's systems framework and theory of nursing (pp. 14-22). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

• King, I. M. (1981). A theory for nursing: Systems, concepts, process. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

• King, I. M. (1988). Concepts: Essential elements of theories. Nursing Science Quarterly, 1(1), 22-25.

• King, I. M. (1986). Curriculum and instruction in nursing. Norwalk, CT: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

• King, I. M. (1987). King's theory of goal attainment. In R. R. Parse (Ed.), Nursing science: Major paradigms, theories and critiques (pp. 107-113). Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders.

• King, I. M. (1992). King's theory of goal attainment. Nursing Science Quarterly, 5(1), 19-26.

• King, I. M. (1997). King's theory of goal attainment in practice. Nursing Science Quarterly, 10, 180-185.

• King, I. M. (1999). King's theory of goal attainment: Philosophical and ethical implications. Nursing Science Quarterly, 12, 292-296.

• King, I. M. (2001). Theory of goal attainment. In M. Parker (Ed.). Nursing theories and nursing practice. Philadelphia: Davis, 275-286.

• King, I. M. (1964). Nursing theory: Problems and prospect. Nursing Science, 2, 394-403.

• King, I. M. (1984). Effectiveness of nursing care: Use of a goal oriented nursing record in end stage renal disease. American Association of Nephrology Nurses and Technicians Journal, 11(2), 11-17, 60.

• King, I. M. (1990). Health: The goal for nursing. Nursing Science Quarterly, 3(3), 123-128.

• King, I. M. (1989). King's general systems framework and theory. In J. P. Riehl-Sisca (Ed.), Conceptual models for nursing practice (3 ed., pp. 149-158). Norwalk, CT: Appleton & Lange.

• King, I. M. (1990). King's conceptual framework and theory of goal attainment. In M. E. Parker (Ed.).  Nursing theories in practice (pp. 73-84). New York: National League for Nursing.

• King, I. M. (1989). King's systems framework for nursing administration. In B. Henry, C. Arndt, M. DiVincenti, & A. Marriner-Tomey (Eds.), Dimensions of nursing administration: theory, research, education, practice (pp. 35-45). Cambridge: Blackwell Scientific.

• King, I. M. (1988). Measuring health goal attainment in patients. In C. F. Waltz & O. L. Strickland (Eds.), Measurement of nursing outcomes: Measuring client outcomes (Vol. 1, pp. 108-127). New York: Springer.

• King, I. M. (1975). Patient aspects. In L. J. Shuman, J. R. D. Spease, & J. P. Young (Eds.), Operations research in health care: A critical analysis (pp. 3-20). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

• King, I. M. (1994). Quality of life and goal attainment. Nursing Science Quarterly, 7(1), 29-32.

• King, I. M. (1976). The health care system: Nursing intervention subsystem. In H. Werley, A. Zuzich, M. Zajkowski, & A. D. Zagornik (Eds.), Health research: The systems approach . New York: Springer.

• King, I. M. (1982). The effect of structured and unstructured pre-operative teaching: A replication. Nursing Research, 31, 324-329.

• King, I. M. (1995). The theory of goal attainment. In M. A. Frey & C. L. Sieloff (Eds.).  Advancing King's systems framework and theory of nursing (pp. 23-32). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc

• King, I. M. (1978). The "why" of theory development. Theory development: What, why, how?  New York: National League for Nursing.

• King, I. M. (1971). Toward a theory for nursing: General concepts of human behavior. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

For further publications using Orlando's theory, consult articles available by doing a search on MEDLINE/PUBMED.