Powerlessness and the pulmonary alveolar edema patient

Everyone wants to maintain control over events in their life. The need for personal control does not end when the patient is hospitalized; instead the patient's need for personal control usually intensifies in critical care situations. The nursing diagnosis of powerlessness is common for most critical care patients, and especially so for the patient experiencing respiratory difficulties such as Pulmonary Alveolar Edema. These authors describe a model of powerlessness which suggests strategies for increasing the patient's control over his or her situation.