Conceptual Models of Nursing in Critical Care

Table 1

Synopsis of the analyzed studies.

Authors (year)	Title	Author’s conclusions
Fawcett et al. [5]	Conceptual models of nursing: application to critical care nursing practice	Regardless of the choice, the use of a conceptual model in intensive care provides holistic care to people who experience life-threatening situations and contributes to the quality of care provided.
Johnson [10]	Evaluating conceptual models for use in critical care nursing practice	The concepts of a conceptual model must be reducible to empirical terms and must be possible to use in conjunction with the medical model. No conceptual model has achieved global acceptance for implementation in intensive care.
McClune and Franklin [11]	The mead model for nursing—adapted from the roper/Logan/Tierney model for nursing	With the mead model, the person is the centre of the model and importance has been attached to the factors that influence the person and health, due to the fundamental importance that they have in intensive care.
Sommers [12]	Interviews: opinions on conceptual models from other critical care nurses	Most participants agree with a combination of conceptual models in critical care practice.
Jacobs [13]	Orem’s self-care model: is it relevant to patients in intensive care?	The application of Orem’s self-care model promotes an individualized approach to nursing care and enhances the importance of perceiving the patient as a whole.
Boström et al. [14]	Nursing theory-based changes of work organization in an ICU effects on quality of care	With the application of Henderson’s nursing model in an intensive care unit, improvements were identified in interventions that aimed to assist in basic physical activities. There has been no improvement in activities aimed at assisting psychological or spiritual needs.
Fawcett et al. [7]	Guidelines for selecting a conceptual model of nursing: focus on the individual patient	For the selection of a conceptual model of nursing for intensive care units, the focus should be more directed to the person, instead of being directed to the philosophy of nursing.
Sutcliffe [15]	Philosophy and models in critical care nursing	The mead model is useful to guide nursing practice, once it embodies nursing knowledge, goals, and beliefs, besides being practical and “user friendly.”
Robb [8]	Do nursing models have a place in intensive care units?	The selection of a nursing model in intensive care is influenced by the multidisciplinary nature of the area of care. Further research is needed to provide the effectiveness of conceptual models of nursing in improving patient care.
Chan [16]	Using the Roy adaptation model to guide the health assessment of patients in an intensive care setting in Hong Kong	Roy adaptation model promotes a clear identification of the patient problems and prioritizes care more efficiently and can provide a comprehensive systematic guide based on what nurses identify in terms of physiological function.
Kaplow and Reed [17]	The AACN synergy model for patient care : a nursing model as a force of magnetism	The AACN synergy model is an excellent framework to organize the work of patient care throughout the health care system.
Truppel et al. [18]	Nursing assistance practice at an intensive therapy unit supported by the conceptual model of Horta	The conceptual model of Horta and its respective nursing process support the clinical judgement and the planning of the interventions to be implemented with scientific evidence and help with the definition of the nurse’s performance.
Reinoso and Núñez [19]	Nursing models in critical care units: step toward advanced nursing care	The implementation of a model of nursing in intensive care contributes to the incorporation of knowledge of the discipline in clinical practice.
Perão et al. [20]	Patient safety in an intensive care unit according to Wanda Horta’s theory	An appropriate implementation of Wanda Horta’s theory in intensive care can contribute to the safety of care in these environments and it reinforces the scientific nature of nursing.