adaptation model
adaptation model
The goal of nursing is to promote patient adaptation in all four adaptive modes during wellness and illness. The nursing process component of the adaptation model involves six steps. In step one, assessment of behaviors, data regarding the client's physiological, self-concept, role function, and interdependence behaviors are collected. Once the data have been collected, the nurse must judge whether the behaviors are adaptive or ineffective. Thus the primary question is: To what extent is the person adapting to environmental stimuli? In step two, assessment of influencing factors, priorities are set for further assessment and identification of the environmental stimuli that influence the client's behavior and so contribute to the adaptive or ineffective responses. Step three, nursing diagnosis, involves a behavioral description of the client's adaptive or ineffective responses and identification of the most relevant influencing factors, as well as establishment of a hierarchy of importance for the nursing diagnoses. In step four, goal setting, the goals for nursing care are formulated. These goals are stated as behaviors expected as the outcome of nursing intervention. Step five, intervention, involves management of environmental stimuli, which takes the form of an increase, decrease, modification, maintenance, or removal of internal or external stimuli. The intervention with the highest probability of reaching the desired goal is selected. In step six, evaluation, the effectiveness of the nursing intervention is judged. The criterion for effectiveness is whether the desired behavioral goal was attained. The outcome of this step is updating of the nursing care plan.