Introduction
In clinical settings, patient stress is frequently associated with changes determined by health conditions and the necessity of treatment. That is why Neuman Systems Model may be applied to patients whose stress factors are connected with staying in medical facilities when they are emotionally and physically unprepared for it. For instance, it may be applied to the practice area of gerontological nursing in hospitals. In this case, the patient population that would be targeted is the hospitalized elderly. On the one hand, an age-related “physiological decline in the body’s functions, which implies biopsychosocial changes that are associated with unfavorable conditions, culminating in the development of chronic non-communicable diseases, comorbidities and injuries” requires additional medical assistance and continuous care delivery (da Rosa et al., 2018, p. 2). On the other hand, hospitalization is associated with numerous stress factors for the elderly, including developmental, psychological, biological, and environmental ones. That is why, for nurses, it is essential to apply Neuman Systems Model to the evaluation of older patients’ stress factors for the development of efficient nursing interventions for their minimization.
Application of the Model
According to the model, stress management includes primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention stages. The first stage presupposes the identification of actual stress factors, the second stage refers to potential practices and techniques for their reduction, and the third stage implies the prevention of stressors’ occurrence. However, while every patient is unique and his perception of events is unique as well, his personal characteristics, along with the external environment, create individual stressors, which should be addressed by nurses. In other words, nurses should establish contact with a patient and build relationships on the basis of mutual trust and respect to identify stress factors.
The elderly may experience loneliness and anxiety derived from the necessity to stay away from relatives and pets, disrespect for autonomy, invasion of privacy, and hospital rules that interfere with their everyday routine (da Rosa et al., 2018). Due to age-related cognitive decline, it is more challenging for seniors to adapt to new conditions, especially in settings associated with illnesses, pain, and death. In addition, they may physically suffer from a lack of mobility that increases the risks of falls and other traumas. As every stress factor requires different interventions, nurses should carefully assess them, and the reduction of patients’ stress due to a correct nursing intervention determines successful nursing outcomes.
Nursing Outcomes
It goes without saying that hospitalization is frequently associated with stress for people, especially senior ones. They may experience loneliness, anxiety, sadness, longing, and isolation that, if left untreated, lead to the deterioration of both physical and mental health. At the same time, for every person, the combination of stressors is individual, and there is no universal intervention. That is why nurses should apply Neuman Systems Model for every senior patient to identify his stressors, develop a customized nursing intervention for their reduction, and prevent their occurrence in the future. Moreover, according to da Rosa et al. (2018), “health assessment should be done in a multidimensional way, in order to identify problems underlying the main complaint, including functionality, cognition, emotions, social and environmental issues, which interfere in the well-being, in the autonomy” (p. 6). In the case of the correct following of the model’s stages, the level of a patient’s stress will reduce due to the appropriate techniques for stress management determining successful nursing outcomes.
Reference
de Rosa, P. H. D., Beuter, M., Benetti, E. R. R., Bruinsma, J. L., Venturini, L., & Backes, C. (2018). Stressors factors experienced by hospitalized elderly from the perspective of the Neuman Systems Model. Escola Anna Nery, 22(4), 1-9. Web.