A theory is a collection of related concepts that focus on explaining an individual subject. Nursing theories, which are derived through deductive and inductive reasoning, offer a logical view of the health care profession which provides models, definitions, and suggestions in the field of nursing. They help one in selecting the most appropriate approach to caregiving according to the need and assessing the success of the process. As Shah observes in his article, these theories provide the nurses with a structure that focuses on the caregiving practice (Shah, 2015). This paper will focus on Betty Neuman’s System Model theory which dwells on an individual’s response to environmental stressors and how various approaches could be used to improve their well-being.
The objective of the nursing theories is to understand, envisage, and offer an explanation of the nursing experience. They improve the practitioners’ professional status as well as guide them in research and education. It is important to include them in the master’s program because by helping in generating knowledge and offering direction for the future developments, these theories act as the foundation for the nursing profession. They analyze caring, which is the occupation’s main idea, by helping the practitioners recognize what exactly should be the core principles of the nursing practice (Alligood, 2014). Nursing theories differentiate nursing from other healthcare professions as they specifically emphasize on caregiving which improves recovery. One of the concerns in using the nursing theories, however, is that there is no definite way of choosing which approach to use and therefore the decision entirely lies with the individual practitioner.
Betty Neuman developed the systems Model and published it as a “Model for teaching total person approach to patient problems” in 1972. The model has since then had several editions with the latest being the fifth which focuses on present-day trends and future nursing requirements. The model dwells on how stress affects people and how they react to it. It emphasizes on the uniqueness of each client system, and that different people respond differently to stressors that affect their health and well-being (Turner & Kaylor, 2015). These stressors, whether known or unknown, have an impact on an individual’s Line of Defense (LOD) differently. According to this model, each person has a standard LOD that can help in determining their digression from normal health status. The stressing factors from the surrounding environment may be spiritual, psychological, and developmental among others. This model suggests that a person’s LOD is dynamic and could change depending on stressing factors such as lack of enough sleep or appropriate nutrition. When the LOD in broken by the stressing factors which could either be internal or external, the system is the said to turn into ill health.
The Neuman’s theory places nursing intervention into categories. These are the primary, secondary, and tertiary preventive measures. The primary interventions are used before the occurrence of the stressors and involve health evaluation without an intention to promote one’s well-being. The secondary interventions are meant to address the invading stressors while the tertiary ones focus on reconstituting one’s health.
The Neuman’s Systems Model theory best suits the educating area in nursing. It was developed to teach the undergraduate nursing students how to approach various situations when caring for their clients. An example of Neuman’s Theory application in education is the Peterson’s project which was carried out to determine the causes of stress, its effect, and the reduction techniques. An eight-week study was done taking into account both academic and personal stressors, and the data were analyzed (Peterson, 2016). Another example of Neuman’s theory in education can be in Dr. Margaret Louis’ book which explores the prevention and intervention measures for stress in nursing conducted in Nevada’s colleges and universities (Elmore, 2010).