Gordon's model applied to nursing care of people with depression

Background Psychiatric nurses should consider the patient's biological, psychological and social aspects. Marjory Gordon's Functional Health Pattern Model ensures a holistic approach for the patient. Aim To examine the effectiveness of Gordon's Functional Health Pattern Model in reducing depressive symptoms, increasing self‐efficacy, coping with depression and increasing hope in people with depression. Design A quasi‐experimental two‐group pre‐test and post‐test design was adopted. Methods Data were collected from April 2013 to May 2014 from people with depression at the psychiatry clinic of a state hospital in Turkey; they were assigned to the intervention (n = 34) or control group (n = 34). The intervention group received nursing care according to Gordon's Functional Health Pattern Model and routine care, while the control group received routine care only. The Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Hopelessness Scale and Depression Coping Self‐Efficacy Scale were used. Results The intervention group had significantly lower scores on the Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Hopelessness Scale at the post‐test and 3‐month follow‐up; they had higher scores on the Depression Coping Self‐Efficacy Scale at the 3‐month follow‐up when compared with the control group. Limitation The study was conducted at only one psychiatry clinic. The intervention and control group patients were at the clinic at the same time and influenced each other. Moreover, because clinical routines were in progress during the study, the results cannot only be attributed to nursing interventions. Discussion Nursing models offer guidance for the care provided. Practices based on the models return more efficient and systematic caregiving results with fewer health problems. Conclusion Gordon's Functional Health Pattern Model was effective in improving the health of people with depression and could be introduced as routine care with ongoing evaluation in psychiatric clinics. More research is needed to evaluate Gordon's Nursing Model effect on people with depression. Future studies could focus on the effects of this nursing model on people with other psychiatric disorders. Implications for nursing and health policy This study highlighted that psychiatric nurses' role decreased depressive symptoms and hopelessness, and increased coping and self‐efficacy in people with depression.