Sister Callista Roy developed the Adaptation Model of Nursing in 1976. She had been pursuing her nursing career for a long time and working on the basics of the nursing model. In her theory, she portrays the person’s healing as a set of interrelated systems that balance several stimuli (Business Bliss Consultants FZE, 2020). The person is viewed as a holistic being who co-exists with other elements of the environment, such as energy, different people, information, and other matters. There is no absolute balance in the biological, social, or psychological systems of healing. Every person adapts to healing differently depending on the environment. Some factors that affect the adaptation to healing are self-image, oxygen levels in the atmosphere, sleep, body sensation, spiritual self, and nutrition, among others.
The first concept of the theory is the person. Human beings respond to the environment, and the environment responds to them. People have feelings rooted in consciousness and adjust according to the environment (Gonzalo, 2023). The person’s response to healing highly depends on their interaction with the environment. The stimuli that a person has from the environment are a major factor in their response and how they heal. The human system comprises other people or groups such as families, organizations, and the global community. The people that a person is close to determine how well and how fast the person will heal. The stimuli they give to the person are important to healing. The environment is the second concept of the theory. The surroundings of a person are influential in the way they respond to treatment. These are the conditions and circumstances that influence the behaviour of humans as an adaptive system (Gonzalo, 2023). Some of these include the comfort of the person, aeration of the habitat, noise levels, sleep, and nutrition, among others.
The third concept of the theory is health. She defines health as the ability to cope with disease, stress, sadness, and death rather than freedom from these unfortunate occurrences. Health is the ability of people to adapt to stimuli. According to Callista, people must adapt holistically to maintain health and completeness (Marudhar & Josfeena, 2019). In most instances, people believe that the health system is supposed to heal them, but forget their required input to support the healthcare system. The concepts educate patients to maintain good behaviour, positive attitudes, a good diet, and other supporting aspects to enhance the healthcare system. The fourth concept of the theory is nursing. According to Sister Callista, nursing’s role is to promote holistic adaptation for people in all adaptive models, which contributes to health and better life quality. Nurses facilitate adaptation by assessing the patients’ adaptive behaviours and promoting positive adaptation (Marudhar & Josfeena, 2019). The final concept of the theory is adaptation, which she defines as the thinking and feelings of people creating healthy human and environmental relations through choice and conscious awareness.
Today, theory has a big impact on the nursing profession. It has a psychological effect on the patient in health care. Some patients are usually nervous due to the nature of the illness, and they might have some negative behaviours such as poor feeding, altered sleep, and body and mind changes (Rafat et al., 2022). Implementation of the concepts promotes nutrition and healthy foods. It also educates the patient on good sleeping patterns and sleep-enhancing techniques. The concepts enable the patient to adapt to environmental factors such as a bed, light, and temperature. This way, the psychological healing of the patient begins. The theory improves the self-perspective of the person. Some patients have low self-esteem, feel anxious and guilty, stop praying, and lose pride (Rafat et al., 2022). The theory concepts teach the patient adaptive strategies, such as deep breathing, to relax and improve blood oxygen levels. The nurses also provide a good atmosphere to the patients to promote acceptance, contact, and encouragement. They improve the grooming and body image of the patients, thus uplifting their moods and self-esteem.
The theory is important in nursing today because it encourages role functions. Some patients have disturbing roles, such as a wife or a mother, resigning from work, and isolation, among other factors. The concepts of the theory encourage the patient’s interaction with others and assist the patient in choosing social activities to promote social interaction. It helps build the same interest in hospitalized patients to encourage them to share and interact with each other (Rafat et al., 2022). It also promotes the spiritual involvement of the patients. The concepts of the theory also promote interdependence. Some patients may have disturbed roles, leading to altered family processes (Rafat et al., 2022). The adaptive nature of the nurses involves the patient in planning care to ensure that they are reassured and comforted. Finally, the concepts encourage the people around the patients to provide a suitable environment for the patient for speedy healing, including some love, words of encouragement, less noise, better aeration, proper diet, physical activity, and positive spirituality, among others.
Sister Callista Roy is often used in nursing in my workplace. It helps to know what affects the patient during treatment and helps the nurses provide adaptive measures to promote health. The first step we take is to assess the patient’s behaviour according to the four concepts to see whether the patient is adaptive or not. At first, some patients will even refuse to talk (University of Tulsa, 2023). The next step is to try to stimulate the patient. We observe the patient’s contextual stimuli as either positive or negative. When they are positive, we continue with adaptation, and when they are negative, we propose a behaviour change that promotes adaptation. We also try to change the patient’s environment, such as the ward, to see how they respond. We assess the probable causes of ineffective behaviour and try to rectify them. When we have the true picture of the patient and the behaviour, we set attainable goals for improving the behaviour of the patients.
In some cases, we have recommended home treatment for the patients when we realize that the hospital environment is traumatizing to them. Sometimes, we also call family, friends, and counsellors to spend time with the patient when we detect loneliness. Other interventions we have taken include health and discussion groups, a change of diet, and entertainment, among others. The purpose is to build new and healthy behaviours to promote the patient’s healing. The last stage is usually the evaluation of the patient. We assess the degree of change in the patient and the impact on the healing process. If there are residual ineffective behaviours, change the interventions until we achieve positive results.
I selected this theorist because I appreciate the works of her theories and like the way the interventions work with patients. Healing is not always about the reaction to medication. Communication on positive behaviour and healthy adaptations is vital to the healing of the patients. I have some experience with patients who have health problems simply because they have developed a negative behaviour of not completing their medication at home. Instead of recommending hospitalization, I find it easier to engage the patients and explain to them the advantages of completing medication and the dangers of failing to finish medication.
In some cases, I call in a family member or close friend and ask them to ensure that the medication is completed. The theory of Callista helps many patients develop a healing process that is parallel and supportive to conventional medication. Behavioural change, environmental change, more engagement, and other positive factors contribute highly to a patient’s speedy recovery. I also chose the theorist because I believe in her concepts and admire her academic career achievements.
References
Business Bliss Consultants FZE. (2020). Roy Adaptation Model in Nursing Practice. Nursing Answers, 1-8.
Gonzalo, A. (2023). Sister Callista Roy: Adaptation Model of Nursing. Nurse Labs, p. 1.
Mr Marudhar, M. J. (2019). Roy’s Adaptation Model of Nursing. International Journal of Scientific Development and Research (IJSDR) Volume 4, Issue 1, 283-287.
Rafat Jan, A. Y. (2022). Theory Guided Practices: An Approach to Better Nursing Care through Roy Adaptation Model. ReportInternational Journal of Current Research and Review Vol 3 Issue 2, 58-63.
University of Tulsa. (2023, May 17th). What Is Roy’s Adaptation Model of Nursing? The University of Tulsa Online Blog, pp. 1-2.