1. The surrogate role is not one that is frequently mentioned in recent nursing practice literature.  Is that role as defined by Peplau relevant to nursing practice as currently experienced.  If so, in what way.  If not, why?Please include 400 words in your initial post with two scholarly articles  by Wednesday midnight and 200 words in two answers to your peers by Saturday midnight. 
The surrogate rol
by Viviana Reyes Morales – Saturday, February 24, 2024, 8:01 AMNumber of replies: 4
Hello Professor and Class,
Surrogate Role in the Current Nursing Literature
The surrogate role, as conceptualized by Hildegard Peplau, has been an influential aspect of nursing practice. Peplau’s paradigm emphasizes nurses’ representation of patients in communication and decision-making (Vogelsang, 2022). Although not explicitly mentioned in modern nursing literature, the surrogate role is nonetheless prevalent in nursing practice. New concepts and frameworks are minimizing explicit references in healthcare and nursing terminology. However, the surrogate role remains crucial in nursing, especially in-patient advocacy.
Patient advocacy and surrogacy in healthcare are greatly interwoven. For example, nurses help individuals who are in a state of disability, those who are vulnerable, and those confronting communication challenges. The importance of the surrogate role is that nursing advocates for patients’ care. In addition, there are many choices available to patients today because of the complexity of the healthcare system; hence, surrogacy has come into shape. This means that nurse’s decision-making process must be guided by the patient’s voice and choices, especially in extreme situations.
Additionally, technology advances and healthcare delivery paradigm shifts make surrogates relevant. Electronic health records, telemedicine, and interdisciplinary collaboration have changed healthcare. However, the surrogate role remains crucial for patient-provider communication despite these modifications. For instance, in the digital age, where face-to-face interactions are limited, the nurse’s ability to act as a surrogate becomes crucial. They must use virtual contact channels, assess patient concerns from electronic information, and ensure human touch in healthcare persists. The surrogate role, therefore, extends beyond physical presence to
encompass the skills needed for effective communication in diverse and evolving healthcare settings.
Additionally, the surrogate role aids patients in comprehending complex medical information. Patients struggle to understand complex medical terminology and treatment options as healthcare gets increasingly specialized. Nurses, in their surrogate role, act as mediators and translate healthcare specialists’ technical terms into layman’s understanding of patients and their families (Wilandika et al., 2023). As nurses communicate, educate, and urge active engagement in treatment, the surrogate role supports Peplau’s emphasis on interpersonal relationships. Thus, the surrogate role improves patient understanding and involvement through physical representation, translation, and information facilitation.
Due to changes in ethical and regulatory requirements, nurse-patient relations have become increasingly intricate. Ethical dilemmas often confront nurses, making the role of a proxy important in resolving such cases. Patient rights, informed consent, and end-of-life decisions indicate the significance of the surrogate role. This means that planning for advanced care includes coordinating patient preferences and upholding the values of nursing professionals.
For this, nurses should use Peplau’s surrogate position to make the right choices based on beneficence, autonomy, and justice when dealing with patients and their families.
References
Vogelsang, L. (2022, December 21). Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations: Application to Asynchronous Nursing Education | Canadian Journal of Nursing Informatics. Canadian Journal of Nursing Informatics. https://cjni.net/journal/?p=10464
Wilandika, A., Glorino, M.,