Applying Theory to a Practice Problem

Applying Theory to a Practice Problem: Part 3
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Applying Theory to a Practice Problem: Part 3
Introduction
In nursing, theories play a crucial role in enhancing the discipline and assisting in the decision-making process. In essence, middle-range theories have especially helped in describing, explaining, and also predicting phenomena because they are testable. It is important to understand the role and significance of borrowed theories in solving problems. These are theories that have been borrowed from other existing disciplines but play a crucial role in nursing. In many cases, these theories come from fields such as sociology and other related disciplines focusing on interactions between the humans and the society. This paper tries to show how stress, coping, and adaptation theory as a borrowed theory helps in dealing with nursing fatigue (Baum & Contrada, 2010).
Fatigue in nursing has been described as a significant problem that requires a drastic solution. Fatigue refers to the physical, as well as mental exhaustion that can be triggered by things such as overworking and even monotony of dealing with same problems every day. This tiredness leads to adverse effects on both the nurses and also the patients. In reality, when nurses feel mentally or physically exhausted, it can easily result in clinical errors when treating patients. These errors have the potential to lower the quality of healthcare provided to patients and even minimize the nurses’ morale in their workstations. This means that nursing fatigue should be addressed drastically to avoid harmful effects on the nursing profession.
Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations as a middle-range theory can be applied to deal with the problem of nursing fatigue. This is because this theory promotes a close partnership between patients and nurses. When there is a partnership and agreement between a nurse and patient, it leads to respect for each other. When both the nurse and patient appreciate each other, there is cohesion and harmony that allows them to get along without problems. In this way, the nurse does not get overwhelmed dealing with the patients’ problems but rather learns to appreciate and communicate with them. The patient also appreciates the nurse’s efforts of having a caring spirit, and this makes them value each other. This eliminates fatigue for the nurse because of having a positive working environment and makes the patient feel treasured as a human being (Ramesh, 2013).
The stress, coping, and adaptation theory is a borrowed theory that assists in dealing with the problem of nursing fatigue. According to Baum and Contrada, (2010), the stress, coping, and adaptation theory explains the analysis of stress as experienced by a person when the experience surpasses personal, as well as social resources at his/her disposal. This theory is applied as a tool for predicting stressors or stressful circumstances. It is primarily helpful in assisting individuals recognize and better deal with stressful situations. This theory is efficient in understanding how to deal with fatigue in the nursing profession. This is because fatigue is a form of stress that can lead to traumatic experiences if not addressed (M...