Application of Peplau's theory of Interpersonal Relations in Nursing Practice: A systematic review study

Effective communication is one of the basic elements in nursing. Nursing theories are among the sources of guidance in this area. Peplau’s theory is one of the nursing theories which emphasize the importance of the nurse - patient relationship. The objective of this study was to investigate the application of the Peplau’s theory in clinical nursing practice.
The present study was a systematic review in which the keywords " Peplau, Interpersonal Theory, Peplau Nursing Theory" were searched in English in Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus and in Persian in SID, Magi Ran and Iran Doc between January 2007 and August 2017. The initial comprehensive search resulted in 592 articles in all databases and after considering the inclusion criteria nine articles were finally chosen.
The results showed the positive effect of the application of Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations in reducing the stress of hemodialysis patients, increasing the satisfaction of patients in the cardiac care unit, reducing the anxiety of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery, gaining the trust of patients with sexual and emotional abuse, promoting the health of pregnant women, reducing the harms of children with a parent in jail and increase patients’ cooperation in care.
considering of positive outcomes of the use of Peplau Nursing Theory in practice, it is suggested to consider the promotion of nurses’ awareness of this theory and its training and application in nursing.