Question

Sgt. Eddie Johns leaned back against the chair in the outpatient orthopedic clinic. His head was killing him! He wasn't sure which was worse, the "morning after" headache or not being able to sleep at night. At least when he had a few beers under his belt so he could catch a few hours of sleep. It had been like this since he was air evacuated back stateside from Afghanistan after the roadside bomb went off. He was thankful that he had only broken his leg in a couple of places and gotten a bad bump on the head. They called that traumatic brain injury but he didn't know what that was and really didn't believe them anyway. He was still thinking just fine. His friend Joe wasn't so lucky! How was Joe going to learn to walk on those artificial legs? He was still in the hospital in Washington, DC. That was pretty far from his home. Eddie wished he could visit Joe. They had been in the same platoon for 9 months. But, Eddie was glad that he had been able to come back to his own home town for outpatient treatment. It took an hour to get here but at least he could see his girl almost every day. Sure he had moved back in with his mom but it was easier to have someone to help him get around and cook for him. It was a bummer that he couldn't work right now. He guessed it didn't matter much since he really didn't have a job to go back to. He had been replaced at the plant. They said they would find something for him to do once he could get around more easily. Eddie sure hoped the doc would take the pins out of his leg today and give him a clearance to work.

• From the perspective of the Roy Adaptation Model, why is it important for the nurse to listen to Sgt. Johns' "story" in his own words and not just base her interactions on information from the chart, fellow colleagues, or his family?

Answer 1

The Roy's model clearly states that the goal of the nursing is help the person adapt to changes in the physiological needs,role function and interdependent relationship with health and illness.

It is important for a nurse to understand this model and correlate with the scenario.It is the first responsibility to listen to the patient's conversation because it helps in planning the  nursing action.

• Here the patient has to undergo a physiological change (pain, insomnia,blow on the head)
• It can give an idea of his role in the environment and his adaptations accordingly
• His thought about the way of realising the need of medical care and his overcoming power
• His psychological response of thinking about his friend's health and his progress in adapting to the new life.