Adaptation: a concept analysis.

The concept of adaptation is historically evident in nursing practice. Florence Nightingale showed how the environment required adaptation to meet the needs of the patient. Following her lead, several nurse theorists developed models with examples of the concept of adaptation: the nurse either adapts to the patient's needs, works to help the patient adapt to the environment, or adapts the environment to the needs of the patient. Sr. Callista Roy's Adaptation Model of Nursing is one such nursing model. Although this model has been applied in many clinical and administrative areas, the use of the concept in a school setting with special-need's student requires additional definition and clarification. The goal of this concept analysis paper is to clarify and explore the definition of adaptation in the school setting with application to an Individualized Healthcare Plan (IHP).