Nursing Research Application
Dr. Johnson believes: "There is absolutely no question that pre-op exercise and deep breathing make a tremendous contribution to the reduction of post-op complications. No patient should go to surgery without receiving that nursing care. Similarly, we know now that providing sensory information preparatory to a nursing or medical procedure reduces patient distress during the procedure and, as in the surgical study, can have long-lasting benefits.
Dr. Johnson's research has demonstrated that the combination of both types of information gets the best results. It’s like two compatible drugs that work in separate ways to achieve a single result – patient recovery and well-being. Both types of information should be an integral part of all nursing care along with coping methods that are effective for the specific situation under study (e.g. panting breathing for labor pains).
Other researchers have used Dr. Johnson's Sensation Theory in subjects varied widely in age, social and economic status, and race. The threatening events varied in setting from simple to complex clinical situations and procedures; and in duration, from less than two minutes to several days and weeks. Painful and painless, intrusive and non-intrusive events were studied. All subjects responded well to sensation information. Now review Johnson's studies and discuss "a program of research" beginning with pilot studies and moving to theory derivation.
Johnson's Theory: "Discrepancy between expected and experienced physical sensations (what is felt seen, heard, tasted, and smelled) during a threatening experience will result in distress."
