Transition In Nursing Literature Review

The discipline of nursing focuses on transforming health to a state of wellbeing which puts nurses in a prime position to promote successful transitions for their clients (Meleis & Trangenstein, 1994). The literal or primary meaning of transition originates from the Latin word “across” (Kralik, Visentin, & Van Loon, 2006, pp. 323). The literature describes transition, as a passage or shift in a person’s lifespan and is due to the nature of change in an individual’s health, environment, or relationships (Al-Yateem & Docherty; Kralik et al., 2006; Meleis, Sawyer, Messias, & Schumacher, 2000; Schumacher & Meleis, 1994). As men are now more engaged in the prenatal and postnatal period, it is essential nurses understand the nursing concept of transition

The essence of the word transition depends on the context or discipline in which it is used, but the definition across all disciples include a ‘passage from one state to another’ (Kralik et al., 2006, pp.323). Over the last several decades in the discipline of health and nursing transition has been defined as:

A passage from one life phase, condition, or status to another…transition refers to both the process and the outcome of complex person-environment interactions. It may involve more than one person and is embedded in the context and the situation. Defining characteristics of transition include process, disconnectedness perception and patterns and response (Kralik et al., 2006,

The experience may lead to mixed emotions of joy, stress and uncertainty (Jordan, 2007). This period is described as the “separation phase” (Al-Yateem & Docherty, 2015). Men often feel isolated in the middle phase as they do not exhibit the physiological changes women do during pregnancy so they cannot engage in the reality of the pregnancy (Jordan, 2007). The literature describes this as the “neutral phase” where the father will most likely possess feelings of disruption and exploration while he is waiting for the birth of his child (Al-Yateem & Docherty, 2015; Jordan, 2007). Labour and childbirth to the first couple of years of parenthood are considered the last phase of transition which Al-Yateem & Docherty (2015) denote as the “new beginning phase” (Jordan, 2007). In the final phase of transition, there is a sense of equilibrium, purpose, and accomplishment for the new father (Al-Yateem & Docherty,