Interdisciplinary Philosophies/Theories and Application to Nursing (Essay Sample)

Application of Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations
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Application of Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations
Peplau posited that nursing staffs serve as nurse-therapists and function in a counseling role. Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations is focused on the idea that patient-nurse relationships actually have a beginning point, continue via definable phases or stages, and have a conclusion (Fawcett, 2010). My area of interest is emergency nursing. This theory necessitates nurses to interact with the client/patient purposely. Peplau (2009) pointed out that through the device of the therapeutic patient-nurse relationship, the nursing staff member could be most beneficial to human beings. The Theory of Interpersonal Relations is relevant to my area of interest in that emergency nursing calls for tactful and skillful communication between patients and nurses. The interactions between patients and nursing staffs in the emergency setting can be short, but it needs to have meaning for the patients. It is vital for emergency nurses to communicate proactively with their patients and patients’ families using assertiveness, empathy, and active listening (Peplau, 2009). The patient-nurse relationship could be expressed as a process that has overlapping phases. Emergency nurses can utilize the elements of Peplau’s theory especially when they apply the principles of the phases in the patient-nurse relationship. The process that the triage nurse uses within an emergency department (ED) is the same as the process specified in the first orientation phase of this particular theory. In the first meeting, the stage is set in the interaction taking place between the nursing staff member and patient.
Summary of a scholarly article: The scholarly article by Senn (2013) illustrates how the Theory of Interpersonal Relations has been applied to advanced nursing practice in my area of interest. A woman in her early 30s runs into the ED screaming that she cannot breathe. The patient’s pulse oximetry is 99% and her respiratory rate is 26/minute. The triage nursing staff member introduces herself to the patient – this is the orientation phase. Orientation takes place as the patient exhibits health-seeking behavior, and the ED nurse is identified as a person who is qualified to intervene and assist (Senn, 2013). The nurse watches the patient’s body language and non-verbal cues and deals with this patient in an empathetic manner; a behavior that facilitates initial trust in the patient-nurse relationship. The patient is treated and before being discharged from the ED, she makes an appointment with her therapist on her own; this is the exploitation phase as the patient takes responsibility and acts on her own without the nursing staf...