There are numerous valuable outcomes that nurses can achieve by using conceptual models. theories, and empirical indicators for their advanced nursing practice. It is possible for the nurses to apply the models or theories to real-world nursing practices, research, and education. In order to develop a first-hand experience in this area, this paper will examine how the Conceptual - Theoretical - Empirical (CTE) structure translates into nursing practice, and it will be based on the Roy Adaptation Model using the middle range nursing Theory of Caregiver Stress. Evaluation of The Conceptual-Theoretical-Empirical Linkages

It is quite evident that there is a direct linkage between the conceptual, theoretical, and empirical models that assist to guide their application in nursing practice, research, and education. Fawcett (2009) posits that it is not possible to conduct nursing research or practice without using guidance from a conceptual model. It is preposterous to assume that the development of any theory can take place without the theory being based on a conceptual model. This is the reason why the CTE structure for theory development or theory generating research moves inductively from the conceptual model to the relevant empirical indicators needed to first generate a theory. The deductive steps involved in the CTE structure used for theory-testing research on nursing practice flow from the conceptual model to the theory to the empirical indicators (Fawcett, 2009). Using this step-wise fashion, the CTE can be used for a broad range of applications, that include conceptualizing the manner different individuals adapt to and interact with their environment by drawing from the Roy Adaptation Model.

Evaluation of The Selected Theory

The Roy Adaptation Model conceptualizes an individual as being an adaptive holistic system that interacts with its...

The CTE structure, when applied to the Roy Adaptation Model (RAM), includes some abstract concepts as environmental stimuli, coping processes, and modes of adaptation (Fawcett & Garity, 2008). The RAM has been used in numerous studies, but there are only a few studies on caregiving that have used this conceptual model. RAM was developed from three human responses namely focal, conceptual, and residual based on the stimuli input from the environment. The Theory of Caregiver Stress is directly derived from the Roy Adaptation Model and it is used as a basis for understanding the relationships among caregivers and the stress faced when caring for a chronically ill relative. The objective of this middle theory is to predict the caregiver stress and the outcomes from demographics characteristics, stressful life events, the objective burden of caregiving, social support, and social roles.
The Theory of Caregiver Stress has four assumptions of the caregiver that include the caregiver can respond to environmental changes, the caregivers' perceptions will determine how he/she will respond to the environmental stimuli, the caregivers' adaptation is a function of their environmental stimuli and adaptation level, and the caregivers' effectors are results of chronic caregiving such as marital satisfaction and self-esteem. This theory explains the caregiver's social role, how they cope with stress, and how they reduce stress. There are several propositions that have been listed in this theory that can be applied to nursing practice.

Evaluation of The Empirical Indicators

The Theory of Caregiver Stress has three main structures namely input, control, and output. The input section comprises on the objective burden, which is the focal stimulus for the caregivers’ situation. This means that it is the…