Philosophy and models in critical care nursing

In 1991 a new philosophy and nursing model was developed in the adult intensive care unit. A team approach over several months, through the exploration of attitudes, values and beliefs, gave rise to the unit philosophy. The philosophy identified the beliefs of the nursing team which then, along with identified knowledge and goals for practice, directed us towards an appropriate nursing model. The Mead model, an adaptation from Roper, Logan & Tierney's model, was chosen and then adapted further. We believe the resulting model, although not perfect, guides our practice, reflects our beliefs, and is practical and 'user friendly'.