Helping a Patient With a Pre-Existing Mental Health Condition Cope With Depression and COVID-19 Using the Neuman Systems Model: A Single Intrinsic Case Study.

This article focuses on applying the Neuman Systems Model—a nursing theory emphasizing primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention to maintain patient system wellness—to care for a 20-year-old woman with pre-existing depression who contracted COVID-19 in an urban hospital in Iran. Using a single intrinsic case study design, the research assessed the patient's physiological, psychological, sociocultural, developmental, and environmental stressors through interviews, observations, and standardized tools like the Beck Depression Inventory-II and Nurses' Global Assessment of Suicide Risk. The study developed a culturally sensitive, theory-based nursing care plan that included a self-care support program and psychiatric consultation to address the patient's complex needs, highlighting the importance of holistic, individualized nursing interventions for patients with co-occurring mental health and infectious diseases. The findings suggest that theory-guided nursing care can improve outcomes for vulnerable patients during pandemics, though further research is needed to validate these approaches across diverse settings.