Fawcett (1995c) has offered guidelines for con-
structing Neuman Systems Model–based studies.
Neuman revisited these guidelines in her 1996 arti-
cle in Nursing Science Quarterly.She acknowledged
that the Neuman model has guided a range of study
designs, from qualitative descriptions of relevant
phenomena to quantitative experiments that tested
the effects of prevention interventions on a variety
of client-system outcomes. She provided numerous
examples of descriptive studies, correlational re-
search, and experimental and quasiexperimental
studies. Neuman elaborated on how to construct
Neuman Model-based research.
Smith and Edgil (1995) have proposed a plan for
testing middle-range theories with the model.
Their plan involved the creation of an Institute for
the Study of the Model to formulate and test theo-
ries through collaboration, including interdiscipli-
nary and multisite efforts. They suggested
directions for the work to be done, an organizing
structure, and a task analysis of what and who
would be appropriate to participate in task comple-
tion. Breckenridge (1995) has actually used the
Neuman model to develop a middle-range theory
based on nephrology practice. Gigliotti (1997) has
identified conceptual and empirical concerns im-
posed upon her when she operationalized
Neuman’s lines of defense and resistance in her re-
search. She concluded that the Neuman model of-
fers an excellent and comprehensive framework
from which to view the metaconcepts relevant to
the discipline of nursing: person, environment,
health, and nursing. Gigliotti says it is time to insti-
tute the comprehensive research program proposed
by Smith and Edgil (1995).
Projections for Use of the Model
in the Twenty-First Century
Neuman believes her model is “both concept and
process relevant as a directive toward nursing and
other health care activities in the challenging 21st
Century” (Betty Neuman, personal communica-
tion, January 10, 1999). This model has been used
to make projections about the future of nursing
and health care. Procter and Cheek (1995) and
Tomlinson and Anderson (1995) provided two ex-
amples of this use. Procter and Cheek used the
model to project the role of the nurse in world cat-
astrophic events, and Tomlinson and Anderson
292 SECTION III Nursing Theory in Nursing Practice, Education, Research, and Administration
used the model to project family health as a system.
Procter and Cheek studied experiences of Serbian
Australians at the time of the civil war in the former
Yugoslavia using the Neuman model to understand
the experiences. As a result of the study, the re-
searchers came up with implications for the role of
nursing in world catastrophic events. The re-
searchers suggested that the goal of nursing in such
worldwide events should be to assist individuals
and communities to retain maximum wellness and
system stability as they strive for a sense of inner
peace and contentment against impossible odds.
Tomlinson and Anderson (1995) recognized
that there is an increasing focus on the family sys-
tem as a health entity. They acknowledged, how-
ever, that there is not a universally accepted
definition of “family health” as a systems phenom-
enon. Tomlinson and Anderson proposed that the
nurse who uses the broad concepts of the Neuman
model along with a shared family health systems
perspective, in which the whole family is the client
in the health promotion enterprise, will be well
prepared to meet future nursing challenges.The Neuman Systems Model has been used
for over two decades; first as a teaching tool
and later as a conceptual model to observe
and interpret the phenomena of nursing and
health care globally. Dr. Neuman (1997,
p. 20) wrote: “[T]he future of the Neuman
Systems Model looks bright.” She believes her
model can readily accommodate future
changes in health-care delivery. The reader
has been introduced to the model and some
of the global applications of the model. The
reader is also referred to additional citations
compiled by Dr. Jacqueline Fawcett (1995a;
1995b).References
Beddome, G. (1995). Community-as-client assessment. A
Neuman-based guide for education and practice. In Neuman,
B.,The Neuman Systems Model(3rd ed., pp. 567–579).
Norwalk, CT: Appleton & Lange.
Beynon, C. E. (1995). Neuman-based experiences of the
Middlesex-London Health Unit. In Neuman, B.,The Neuman
Systems Model(3rd ed., pp. 537–547). Norwalk, CT: Appleton
& Lange.