UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST

RAMON MAGSAYSAY MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER

# 64 Barangay Doña Imelda Aurora Boulevard Quezon City 1113
Telephone No. 8713-33-09 ; 8715-08-61 local 289

COLLEGE OF NURSING

DIRECTION:
1. Read the case study carefully.
2. Focus on the thoughts for the topic (theories) for this week ( Swanson, Mercer, Beck
and Kolcaba)
3. Answer the following guide questions in brief and concise statements.
4. Submit your answered activity via email (fgagustin@uerm.edu.ph) in a word format.

A. Comfort Theory and Caring Theory: An application of Katharine Kolcaba and

Kirsten Swanson to a cardiac patient

Henry arrived at the emergency department with complaints of chest pain. He is

certain this is the “big heart attack” his father had. He is taken to the main emergency
department, which is one large area with stretchers aligned side by side with only a cur-
tain between each stretcher offering minimal to no privacy. It seems that someone ap-
pears every five minutes to check his blood pressure, draw blood or ask him more ques-
tions about his health history. The noise of the other patients, staff and monitoring
equipment is so loud it is difficult for him to hear the providers’ questions.
Time passes. Now John has been in the emergency room for over 12 hours and
he has not rested. When he finally starts to close his eyes and relax the nurse’s aide
begins placing him on a different monitoring device, with no explanation, just the state-
ment, "You are going upstairs." The cardiac floor where he arrives is not much quieter.
John is placed in a four-person room. Both patients on the other side of the room have
their televisions on and one of the IV pumps continuously alarms. John is feeling dis-
comfort in his chest similar to what he felt in the Emergency Department. He has been
unable to contact his wife because the battery on his cell phone went dead. He is anx-
ious about what will eventually happen to him.

Questions:

1. Present an example of applying comfort theory to the case study of John and his
comfort needs. Illustrate.
2. Organize according to the four contexts of care and the three types of comfort needs.
Arrange according to needs during the hospital stay to achieve holistically the comfort of
a sick person.

3. In your own context is theory of comfort is the theory applicable on this case study? Is
caring theory applicable? If yes, explain by illustrating the theory based on the case
presented?

B. A Case Study Presentation of Beck’s Theory

Mrs Martha Gonzales is a 27-year-old woman, who is seen at her 6-week post-
partum obstetrics appointment, and has brought her infant daughter with her. She re-
lates to the clinic nurse that although she is feeling well physically, she has been feeling
‘overwhelmed’ by caring for her infant and does not have the assistance at home from
her mother that she had anticipated. She feels intensely guilty about not being ready to
return to work and also feels inadequate as a mother. These worries began 1 week after
coming home from the hospital.
Upon further questioning, she relates that she has been feeling sad most of the
time, has low energy and psychomotor retardation. She has had difficulty falling asleep,
even when the baby is asleep. She worries that she will need to be up soon to breast-
feed. She has not been eating appropriately – although she has been trying to do so for
the baby's sake – she is unable to ‘force down much food’. She reports no personal his-
tory of bipolar disorder or depression, nor any such family history.

Guide Questions:

1. Is the Beck’s theory of Postpartum Depression applicable on this case? Explain your
answer.
2. Relate the case to the theory of postpartum depression and discuss at least five (5)
major concepts of her theory.
3. Cite and discuss the major assumptions in her theory. Is this applicable to this above
mentioned case study?
C. Look for an article that will complement the Mercer’s Becoming a Mother or
the Maternal Role Attainment Theory. Discuss the application of this theory on
how it was use utilising the assumptions and give practical examples.

Rubric: