The book under title 'Nursing Foundation: Concepts and Perspectives' has been written in lucid style, simple language and with goal-oriented outlook. It will help the students of undergraduate nursing programme at the post basic level which is a broad based education within an academic framework, to develop understanding of philosophy, objectives, responsibilities of nursing profession; to build upon the skills and competence acquired at the diploma level. It will orient them to the current concepts involved in practice of nursing and developments in nursing profession; direct to upgrade their critical thinking skills, competencies and standards required for practice of professional nursing and to follow nursing process.

This book provides up-to-date information in accordance with the latest syllabus prescribed to them and they will be able to identify professional, ethical, and legal aspects of nursing profession, current trends in health and nursing and steps of nursing process. Each chapter deals with a specific aspect of foundation of nursing with complete clarity of expression, simplicity to exposition, intensive text and adequate illustrative material in the form of diagrams, flow charts and tables followed by key points, chapter end questions comprising of essay type questions, short answer questions and multiple choice questions at the end of each chapter. The chapters have been sequenced to facilitate ease and continuity in reading and understanding, and at the end of each chapter, related references have been given as suggested reading.

Section 1: Concept of nursing and professional organizations focuses on development of nursing as a profession: its philosophy and objectives, development of nursing education in India, general and expanded roles of a nurse, role of regulatory and professional organizations, and scope of career planning in nursing.

Section 2: Concept of nursing practice is the core of nursing foundation. It discusses concepts regarding primary health care, community oriented nursing, family health nursing, primary nursing, progressive patient care, team nursing, and problem-oriented nursing. The contents have been divided into three chapters: viz primary health concepts and nursing care concepts.

Section 3: Concept of health, illness and development stages gives detailed concepts of health and illness, health care concepts, discusses major health programmes. Each individual differs in its needs; performs different roles and has different problems. Keeping in mind, this section highlights growth and development, specific human needs, age-related roles and problems. The topic stress and different approaches to adaptation have been emphasized in detail.

Section 4: Nursing process approach is an important aspect of nursing practice. A systematic way of rendering care is through carrying out various steps of nursing process which is important for rendering quality nursing care. All six stages in depth and a very simple way, have been comprehended in two chapters.

Section 5: Metaparadigms and theories of nursing covers description of nursing theory, metaparadigms and important nursing theories that can be applied in nursing practice. Evidence based is fundamental to effective nursing practice. Nursing theory guides research to enhance the science by supporting existing knowledge or generating new knowledge. The information has been provided on what is nursing theory, its characteristics, components and important terms used in nursing theory. The metaparadigm is the most global world view of nursing discipline and shares four common domains i.e. nursing (nursing actions), person (client), environment (society) and health have been discussed in detail.

Section 6: Trends and issues in nursing addresses overview of trends in nursing practice and education, ethical issues and code of ethics, and legal issues in nursing practice. Many issues related to nursing have been discussed in detail. This section has been divided into three chapters. Due to modernization, globalization and liberalization there is a rapid change in general and nursing education from the past, what all changes take place and what are the factors to this trend in nursing practice and education as well how to meet the challenges have been elaborated.

5 Section 7: Quality assurance and quality management introduces students regarding quality assurance and total quality management. There is also a detailed description of nursing service standards. The role of regulatory, professional bodies and nursing audit gives a strong base for essence of nursing foundation, has been included in this section.

It is the hope that the content instructional sequence and its organization will be a great help to teachers and students for understanding the concepts and perspectives of nursing foundation. It will develop insight into nursing practice of present need. It may stimulate teachers to provide evidence based and latest information regarding concepts of nursing foundation to practice.

Constructive and healthy suggestions for further modification and improvement of the book are welcomed and will be appreciated.

The author expresses her deep sense of gratitude to all the scholars, authors and theorists whose literature and work has been consulted and quoted in this book. I offer my thanks to my teachers, students, colleagues, friends to whom I see a guiding force behind the work.

I am thankful to Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd, New Delhi, India for doing the wonderful job of bringing out the first edition in a record time and in a nice get up. I am thankful to JAYPEE team who prodded me to bring out this book after publishing a book on 'Nursing Management and Administration'.

My family deserves much of the credit for inspiring, motivating, and feeling proud that actually encouraged me to write this particular book. Without their endless support I would have not be able to complete this project.