Steps to Follow to Use a Conceptual Model to Guide Nursing Research and/or Practice
The use of a conceptual model to guide research and/or practice involves a process made up of three steps (2). The three steps are listed here.
1. Develop a comprehensive understanding of the content and the research and practice guidelines of the conceptual model.
2. Review existing research and practice guided by the conceptual model.
3. Construct and clearly communicate a conceptual-theoretical-empirical structure.
Step 1: Conceptual Model Content and Guidelines for Research and Practice The first step of the process of using a conceptual model to guide nursing research and/or practice is to understand the content of the conceptual model and to read carefully the guidelines for research and the guidelines for practice (2). A conceptual model is made up of abstract and general concepts and statements about those concepts (3). The content of the Roy Adaptation Model, for example, is made up of such abstract concepts as environmental stimuli, coping processes, and modes of adaptation; the statements that broadly define each concept; and the statements that link the concepts (see Figure 1). A narrative summary of the Roy Adaptation Model is given in Box 1.