Applying nursing theory to frame research is important for the development of knowledge, and it contributes to the evolvement of theory-based nursing practice. According to Jairath et al. (2018), founding nursing research on a theoretical framework provides a more thorough understanding of people’s experiences with health and disease within the system of healthcare. One nursing theory that has been widely resorted to by many is the Roy Adaptation Model or RAM. Turan Kavradim and Canli Özer (2020) used it to evaluate the effects of education and telephone follow-up intervention on the improvement of myocardial infarction patients’ self-efficacy, adaptation, and quality of life. The results showed that the measures based on RAM had beneficial results when compared to usual care.
The nursing metaparadigm takes into consideration the four main concepts of caring for a person. As per Suárez-Baquero and Walker (2021), these are person, health, environment, and nursing. Jennings (2017) explains these in the following way: the person metaparadigm is focused on an individual, a receiver of care. The environment metaparadigm comprises internal and external factors that have a bearing on a patient. The health metaparadigm relates to a person’s general wellness and access to healthcare. The metaparadigm of nursing refers to a nurse and their ways of applying knowledge when delivering care.
In accordance with RAM, the main objective of nursing is to improve compliance and increase life expectancy. As per Jennings (2017), in line with the person metaparadigm, RAM deems the individual a holistic being in constant interaction with an ever-changing environment. In its turn, when it comes to the environment metaparadigm, the environment consists of focal, contextual, and residual stimuli. The focal ones confront a person’s internal and external environment and require most of one’s attention. The contextual ones are the rest of the stimuli contributing to the focal ones and influencing the situation. The residual ones are the additional factors that are an individual’s previous experiences, behaviors, and beliefs. Furthermore, as per the health metaparadigm under RAM, health is an aspect of human life that serves as a representation of a health-disease continuum. Moreover, health is the process of being and transforming into a multifaceted and complete individual. Finally, in accordance with the model’s view of the nursing metaparadigm, nursing is defined as a science and the employment of scientific knowledge in nursing practice.
References
Jairath, N. N., Peden-McAlpine, C. J., Sullivan, M. C., Vessey, J. A., & Henly, S. J. (2018). Theory and theorizing in nursing science: Commentary from the nursing research special issue editorial team. Nursing Research, 67(2), 188-195. Web.
Jennings, K. M. (2017). The Roy Adaptation Model: A theoretical framework for nurses providing care to individuals with anorexia nervosa. Advances in Nursing Science, 40(4), 370-383. Web.
Suárez-Baquero, D. F., & Walker, L. O. (2021). Critical analysis of the nursing metaparadigm in Spanish-speaking countries: Is the nursing metaparadigm universal? Advances in Nursing Science, 44(2), 111-122. Web.
Turan Kavradim, S., & Canli Özer, Z. (2020). The effect of education and telephone follow‐up intervention based on the Roy Adaptation Model after myocardial infarction: Randomised controlled trial. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 34(1), 247-260. Web.
