Caring for Patients With Electrical Burns Using the Holistic Neuman Systems Model: A Case Study

Abstract

Patients with burns should be provided with holistic nursing care that considers all systems of the body. The Neuman Systems Model (NSM) is especially suited to holistic care as it proposes an open system approach and addresses five major interacting variables. This study aimed to investigate the applicability of the NSM when caring for a patient with electrical burns. In this case study, we planned and applied nursing care for a 20-year-old man with electrical burns based on the NSM. The study was conducted between November 25, 2018, and January 10, 2019. We used the six-item Neuman Diagnostic Tool (NDT) developed by Neuman in our interviews with the patient. We found that the electrical burns had caused multiple physiological, psychological, and sociocultural problems for our patient, most of which were physical problems, including the burn injury and subsequent limb amputation. The NDT guided our data collection and aided in our ability to determine stressors and formulate appropriate nursing diagnoses. The NSM strengthened the patient's flexible line of defense for coping individually and facilitated the identification of deficiencies in the normal and resistance lines of defense. The NSM provides a theoretical framework for nurses caring for patients with burns where entire systems are affected.