Nursing Concepts

Peplau’s Intrapersonal relationship plays an important role as being a nurse. Her theory sets the foundation on how to approach the patient when first encountering him or her. She specifically identified four phases in interpersonal relationships: (1) orientation, (2) identification, (3) exploitation, and (4) resolution. Each of these phases’ overlaps, interrelates, and varies in duration as the process evolves toward a solution. (George, 2011) Peplau later wrote that the nurse-patient relationship consists of three phases, orientation phase, working phase and termination phase. Here she combined her earlier phases together depending on various nursing roles. Peplau broadly described it as follows: (1) Teacher: one who imparts knowledge concerning a need or interest, (2) Resource: one who provides specific, needed information that aids in understanding a problem or a new situation, (3) Counselor: One who, through the use of certain skills and attitudes, aids another in recognizing, facing and accepting, and resolving problems that are interfering with the other person’s ability to live happily and effectively, (4) Leader: one who carries out the process of initiation and maintenance of group goals through interaction, (5) Technical expert: one who provides care by displaying clinical skills and operating equipment in this care (6) Surrogate: one who takes the place of another. (George, 2011) Idea Jean Orlando was another theorist who felt that after observing nurse and patient interaction, felt she could only label a “good” or “bad” nurse. It then occurred to her that the role of the nurse is to meet the patient’s immediate need for help. (Orlando, 1961) Orlando realizing this, in 1961 developed, The dynamic nurse-patient relationship: Function, process and principles. Orlando’s paradigm believed that key concepts such as: Patient Behavior, Nurse Reaction, Nurse Action are dependent on a positive patient outcome.

References: George, J.B. (2011). Chapter 4: Interpersonal relations in nursing: Hildegard E. Peplau, Nursing Theories. The Base for Professional Nursing Practice, Sixth Edition. Pearson Education. Nursing Theories a companion to nursing theories and models Application of Interpersonal Theory in Nursing Practice (2012). Retrieved from http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/interpersonal_theory.html Nursing Theories a companion to nursing theories and models Orlando’s Nursing Process Theory (2012). Retrieved from http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/Orlando_nursing_process.html Orlando, I. J. (1972). The discipline and teaching of nursing process: An evaluative study. New York: G. P. Putnam. http://www.enursescribe.com/orlando.htm Vandemark L.M. Awareness of self & expanding consciousness: using Nursing theories to prepare nurse –therapists Ment Health Nurse. 2006 Jul; 27(6) : 605-15