1. Introduction
Nursing science theories can be divided into metatheories,
conceptual models, and middle-range and small theories [1,
2]. Each level of theory has its own characteristics and aims
to separate it from the rest [3]. The need for middle-range
theories arose in the 1960s in the field of sociology. In nursing
science, they have been used to narrow the gap between
nursing science theories and practice [4, 5]. Particularly in
the 1990s, the development of middle-range theories became
relatively common on an international level [5, 6]. Middlerange
theories may be explanatory or predictive [7, 8] and
they are more limited in their nature than metatheories or
conceptual models.They also contain fewer concepts and are
situated between micro/-practical theories and conceptual
models [8–10]. A middle-range theory may be developed
using either a deductive or an inductive approach [11] and,
unlike metatheories or conceptual models, it can be operationalized
into a measurable form