Using nursing model to affirm Catholic identity

Religious sponsors such as the Franciscans must develop an approach that reaffirms their mission goals in today's technological, competitive health care environment. The Neuman Systems Model, originally designed to help nurses incorporate values in their practice, offers a way to achieve this goal. This model provides a clearly defined system that identifies the client as a total person and a classification of stressors that all health team members can apply. It is compatible with such Catholic traditions as the Franciscans because of its: Holistic, systems approach; Emphasis on person as client; Inherent flexibility. According to the model, the client is a unique composite of physiological, psychological, sociocultural, developmental, and spiritual variables and has a central structure surrounded by lines of defense and resistance. Health care providers can use primary, secondary, or tertiary preventions, depending on the client's degree of reaction to stressors. Health care facilitates the client's system stability or harmony through either attainment or maintenance of optimal wellness. With this model and their mission values, religious institutes can develop creative ways to respond to client needs in an increasingly bureaucratic and business-oriented environment.