APPLICATION OF ROY'S ADAPTATION MODEL TO CASE OF MAI-LYNN
The purpose of this paper is to apply the adaptation model of nursing developed by Sister Calista Roy (1984) to the case of Mai-Lynn. The paper begins with an assessment of the case. This is followed by the formulation of nursing diagnoses and the development of a plan of care. To increase understanding of the application, the paper begins with a very brief review of the model itself.
This model, first presented in the periodic literature during the early 1970s, conceptualizes a human as an adaptive system in which change of any kind (e.g., illness, injury) is responded to in either an adaptive or non-adaptive manner. Adaptation is characterized as being effected by the patient's physiological needs, self-concept, role functions, and interdependence. The nursing process is viewed in terms of making first and second level assessments, problem identification, nursing diagnoses, setting priorities, and an evaluation made in order to judge the effectiveness of the nursing process.
The model's strengths lie in its greater ability to offer individualized assessment, its emphasis on psychosocial needs, and its widespread use in nurse practice, education and research (Fawcett, 1989). It's limitations involve overlap in certain assessment categories, difficulties conceptualizing certain terms, and a dependence on the value system of the nurse who must judge what is or is not adaptive (Lancaster, Lowry & Lee, 1994).
Applying the Adaptation Model (see: Roy, 1984; Roy & Roberts, 1981) to the case of Mai-Lynn, it is important to realize that the overall goal of the nurse applying the model is to introduce caregiving and health promoting activities that support recovery and health maintenance. The first step in arriving at this goal, according to the model, is to conduct a first and second level assessment.
With respect to the first level assessment, the following a...