Application of Theory to Practice
Nursing theory is a strong foundation in nursing practice. It is applied in nursing education, administration and clinical practice. Hildegard Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations is a middle-range theory that is highly applied in nursing practice to explain the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship phenomenon. This essay explores how Hildegard Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations supports clinical nursing practice, the purpose of practice application and how the particular concepts of interest might be operationally defined in practice. In addition, the essay will include an example of how I can use the theoretical and operational definitions of my concept of interest in my future research and a potential research practice question based on the theory’s propositions. Application of Theory to Practice
Application in Clinical Practice and its Purpose
Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations emphasizes the essence of a nurse-patient relationship as a dynamic and therapeutic process that involves orientation, identification, exploitation, and resolution. The theory, therefore, supports clinical nursing practice by focusing on the interpersonal aspects of nursing in several ways. First, the theory encourages collaboration and enhances therapeutic communication between nurses and patients. A study by Cacayan et al. (2021) employed the theory of interpersonal relations to assess how nursing therapy assisted COVID-19 patients who had anxiety and found that the theory provided a framework that underscores collaboration between the nurse and the patient, enabling them to work together to achieve health goals, and emphasized the importance of effective communication in maintaining a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship. Communication and collaboration in clinical practice promote a supportive healing environment and foster patient trust and adherence to treatment.
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The theory also supports clinical nursing practice by improving patient outcomes. In a therapeutic relationship, nurses can focus on supporting the patient’s psychological, physical, and emotional well-being, promoting patient engagement and improving health outcomes. In addition, the phases of the nurse-patient therapeutic relationship are a system that guides nurses in assessing patient needs, identifying problems, and developing appropriate interventions, hence enhancing their clinical problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Application of Theory to Practice
The primary purpose of applying Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations in clinical practice is to promote effective interpersonal interactions between nurses and their patients, thus enabling therapeutic relationships. According to Molina-Mula and Gallo-Estrada (2020), enabling therapeutic nurse-patient relationships empowers the patients, supports healing, and enhances professional skills improvement for the nurses. Therapeutic nurse-patient relationships empower patients through active participation in their care and support healing by holistically meeting patients’ needs. In addition, nurses improve their interpersonal counseling, and therapeutic communication skills as they apply the theory phases, leading to professional skills improvement.
Operational Definition of the Concept of Interest in Practice
The nurse-patient relationship concept is divided into the orientation, identification, exploitation, and resolution phases. The orientation phase can be defined operationally in clinical practice as the beginning of a nurse-patient interaction, whereby the nurse introduces themselves to the patient, explains their role/plan of care, and assesses the patient’s immediate needs. The identification phase is whereby the nurse creates an environment whereby the patient can raise their needs, concerns, fears, and goals. The phase might also be defined as the nurse collaborating with the patient to incorporate patient-raised concerns and goals in the plan.
Furthermore, the exploitation phase can be operationally defined as the phase in which the nurse uses their knowledge and skills to provide educational resources and encourage the patient to participate actively in care. In addition, the patient takes advantage of the nurses’ services to achieve their health goals. The resolution phase of the relationship can operationally be defined as the time when the nurse evaluates the patient’s progress since the first interaction and concludes the relationship by assisting the patient to transition out of care. Application of Theory to Practice
Application of the Theoretical and Operational Definition of Concept in Future Research
The theoretical and operational definitions of the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship concept could be applied in future research, providing a framework for understanding nursing concepts and translating them into applicable action steps. Yang et al. (2022) note that Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations provides a strong theoretical framework for research studies focusing on nurse-patient relationships and related factors such as communication. I can use the theoretical definition of nurse-patient relationships as a foundation to develop my hypotheses and research questions in my future research. In addition, I can apply the theory as a conceptual framework and structure my study around the phases of nurse-patient relationships. More so, I can employ the operational definitions of the theory in my future research to test patients’ reactions to the nurse-patient therapeutic relationship based on operational behaviors such as reduced anxiety and openness to communication.
Potential Research Question
Based on the theory’s propositions, I would use the following research question in my future research study: How does using therapeutic communication (based on Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations) influence patient satisfaction in the hospital setting? Using the Population Intervention Comparison Outcome and Timeline (PICOT) research framework, the research question would be as follows: Among adult patients in the institution (P), does the use of therapeutic communication (I) compared to routine communication (C) improve patient satisfaction (O) within three months (T). Application of Theory to Practice
Conclusion
Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations supports clinical nursing practice by emphasizing the role of therapeutic nurse-patient relationships in care. This consequently encourages collaboration, enhances communication, and guides nurses’ problem-solving. As seen above, the operational and theoretical definitions of the nurse-patient relationship concept can also be applied in nursing research and practice. I can use the above research question example to apply the theory in my future research.
References
Cacayan, E. B., Alvarado, A. E., Esmundo, O. A., Cruz, A. D., Felix, F. C., Franco, D. & Galima, J. M. D. (2021). Nursing therapy in dealing with the anxiety of COVID-19 patients based on the model of interpersonal relations of Hildegard Peplau. Health Notions, 5(07), 232-341. https://doi.org/10.33846/hn50702
Molina-Mula, J. & Gallo-Estrada, J. (2020). Impact of nurse-patient relationship on quality of care and patient autonomy in decision-making. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(3), 835. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030835
Yang, X. H., Wu, L. F., Yan, X. Y., Zhou, Y. & Liu, X. (2022). Peplau’s interpersonal relationship theory combined with bladder function training on patients with prostate cancer. World Journal of Clinical Cases, 10(9), 2792–2800. https://doi.org/10.12998/wjcc.v10.i9.2792 Application of Theory to Practice
