Holistic Care and Nursing Education
What Is Holistic Nursing Care
Holistic
nursing care is defined as “all nursing practice that has healing the
whole person as its goal” (Thornton, nd , p. 1). The process of holistic
nursing care takes into account complementary and alternative approaches within
the provision of health care to address the totality of the individual. Brady
(2013) characterized the definition of holistic care as “the
inter-relationship of body, mind, and spirit, and the promotion of
psychological, physiological, and sociological well-being” (p. 31).
Each
of these definitions integrates the ideas of managing the care of the
individual from all vantage points mind, body, and soul. In providing holistic
nursing care, the nurse seeks to identify and incorporate the individual’s
unique understanding of health, health beliefs, and values. Thornton (nd)
acknowledges that holistic nursing is a mind set. a way of life, and a method
of conducting care. Every individual is valued as a unique person who is seen
as having multiple components to embrace in the management of the health care
plan.
Implementation of Holistic Care In Nursing
A
concept basis for holistic nursing is auto genesis. This concept is defined as
“cultivating wellness through a healthy work-life balance and advocates
for good health at three levels of existence physical, soulful, and
spiritual” (Hudson, 2013, p. 12). Applying this concept in nursing
education requires self-determination and commitment to partnerships in the
learning process. Students along with faculty advocate for independence and
autonomy for the patient.
Key to this process is multidimensional approaches.
that influence and promote health and wellness Understanding that health and
wellness take on unique meanings for each individual is crucial. Students can
be encouraged to guide patients to identify self-care measures for enjoying
life.Another
component required in the provision of holistic nursing care is the idea of
effective communication. According to Buck. (2013), straight talk with patients
necessitates making peace with the patient’s involvement in the plan of care,
planning ahead for challenges communicating with all members of the team;
prioritizing the aspects that are of paramount importance to the patient; and
getting help when the need arises.
Each of these ideas is an important part in
the process of engaging in holistic nursing care. Furthermore, discussing
verbal and non verbal communication strategies should include these elements to
help the student be successful.A
final area of application is compassionate care. According to Price (2013),
“compassionate care attends to the perceived needs and situations of
patients, it draws on their existing knowledge and experience, and includes
nurse expertise” (p. 53). Many aspects discussed in compassionate care and
relationship-based care mirror the ideas included within holistic nursing care.
The
art of listening is vital to the provision of holistic nursing care. By
actively listening to what the patient is saying and not saying, nurses can
ascertain a better picture of the patient’s needs and opportunities to provide
holistic nursing care. Time is vital to providing holistic care, and is a
finite commodity. Nurses are pulled in many different ways while providing
care. Learning how to listen is critical to understanding the primary aspects
important to the patient, which results in holistic nursing interventions.
Holistic Care and Spirituality In Nursing Education
Wright
and Neuberger (2012) address the topic of engaged spirituality. This is
connecting with the spiritual side of a patient. The physical and social sides
of a person tend to be linked. The spiritual and/or mind/soul part of the
patient may be harder to incorporate into the plan of care. According to Wright
and Neuberger (2012), “spirituality cultivates a deepening of our
understanding of what it is to be human, of resources we can draw on to connect
with and serve others” (p. 20). Understanding how to connect the mind,
body, soul, and social realms into one plan of care requires careful,
thoughtful engagement with multiple individuals on the team.
Byrne (2013)
suggests that “quality holistic care requires that we understand the
person we are caring for, but all too often these days, with shorter hospital
stays and less nurse-patient contact, we do not get to know those we care for
as well as we used to” (p. 28). Batcheller, Davis, and Yoder Wise (2013)
investigated the spiritual aspect of patients in the workplace. Several
strategies were given to support the management of spirituality at work. The
strategies included huddles, rituals, partnerships, self-care, reflection, and
tranquility rooms. Each of these strategies provides a foundation for
addressing the total patient, thereby providing holistic care.
Holistic Association In Nursing Education
The
American Holistic Nurses Association (Jackson, 2012) has identified core values
for holistic nursing care. Along with the core values, the association
publishes Standards of Holistic Nursing Practice while providing a
certification in the discipline. Jackson (2012) discusses several core values.
These are personal awareness, maturity, research, resource utilization,
cost-effectiveness, caring evidence-based practice, collegiality,
collaboration, communication, therapeutic environment, cultural diversity,
humor, leadership, and quality.
Each of these core values is integrated into
the practice of holistic nursing care to ensure that the total individual is
cared for as they desire. Nurses
have a mandate to keep an open mind and seek to address the total needs of the
individual. Through the commitment to strive to understand the different facets
of an individual mind, body, soul, and social the uniqueness of the person can
be understood. At times, care of the physical side may be more needed, while at
other times the social or mind/soul side needs more attention.
By striving to
help the individual gain balance, the nurse helps the patient gain control of
his or her situation.Research
into these different aspects of holistic nursing care must be considered, identified,
and carried out. Much of the differences within these areas are not known. The
relationships among the body, mind, soul, and spirit must be investigated.