Abstract
The theory of planned behavior has been prominently applied in nursing, but no known critique of the theory has been published. Using Fawcett and Desanto-Madeya's framework, we scrutinized and assessed the theory to determine its appropriateness for nursing investigations of behavior. The theory makes explicit assertions regarding human social behavior, incorporating some nursing metaparadigm concepts. Although not derived from the discipline, the theory's scope, content, and context are relevant to nursing, and its significance to nursing research and practice is clear. Studies incorporating all the theory's concepts and relationships are needed to confirm its testability and empirical and pragmatic adequacy.