The Roper, Logan and Tierney’s nursing model

Running Head: TRANSITION INTO NURSING
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The Roper, Logan and Tierney’s nursing model
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TRANSITION INTO NURSING 2
Description
The Roper Logan Tierney model of nursing is a theory used to care for patients based on
their needs and is the most accepted model in nursing as stated by (Brown, 2015). According to
(Williams, 2015), the model is used as a holistic assessment tool that complements the nursing
process. the RLT model is constructed with five main concepts that include: individualizing
nursing, the dependence/ independence continuum, the lifespan, the twelve activities of daily
living and the factors that influence the activities of daily living (Holland and Jenkins, 2019). I
learned that the RLT model can be incorporated into all types of patients with all types of
condition to enhance care. The model lies in the Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs and
emphasizes the importance of people to perform activities of daily living. Nursing care is
therefore supposed to provide assistance with the activities when patients are unable to perform
them independently.
The factors influencing daily living under the RLT model are biological psychological,
socio-cultural environmental, and politico-economic. Biological factors affect the anatomy and
physiology of one’s body, impacting the overall health of an individual. For instance, a patient
suffering from diabetes is forced to have different nutritional needs that one without (Roper,
Logan and Tierney, 1985).
Psychological factors explain the “knowing, thinking, hoping, feeling and believing” as
stated by Roper. They produce emotional results and affect the patient’s cognition. Socio-cultural
factors define the influence that the society and culture have on an individual. They include
cultural beliefs, social class status, values, and expectations (Roper, Logan and Tierney, 1985).

TRANSITION INTO NURSING 3
The other factor that influences the activities of daily living is the environment. The RLT
model not only looks at the impact of the environment in an individual's ability to perform daily
activities but also the impact that the activities of daily living have on the environment. An
example is when caring for a patient with a wound, the wound dressing should be disposed of off
safely to risk affecting the environment.
Politico-economic factors refer to the influence caused by politics and the economy. They
include factors like availability of government funding, policies, presence of conflict in the
country, level of access to certain services and political reforms (Roper, Logan and Tierney,
1985). For instance, conflict in a country may impact the daily activities of an individual and
affect how they care for themselves.
Feelings
I got to understand the importance of using the RLT model in caring for patients. It
allows the nurse to focus on the patient’s ability to self-care and complements the nursing
process. I believe that it is a vital tool that should be utilized by all healthcare professionals. In
my initial training, I had only limited knowledge about the use of nursing models in patient care.
I felt like I was at a point of a disadvantage when we started learning about the RLT theory
because I had never applied my knowledge on nursing models before. I even questioned the
relevance of the model in nursing care.
However, now with a deeper understanding of the RLT theory, I see the importance of
self-care in patients. The ability to perform activities of daily living is vital to one’s health. The
model might be one of the best that complement nursing care as it covers all aspect of daily
living, including death. It is also a simple model that avoids the complexity present in other