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If we take a look at traditional nursing, it revolves around physical health and offers a strong foundation in patient care. But it is also affected by other factors such as social, behavioural, environmental, and psychological. The shift from focusing on just curing the disease to the whole person has made all the difference. However, to fully understand this, we will do a deep dive into Holistic Nursing and its related aspects.
Holistic Nursing Care: What Do You Mean By It?
Holistic care in nursing is a complete style of patient care that attends to the whole person, versus only the physical symptoms. This means treating the person beyond illness, to include their mind, body, emotions, spirit, culture, environment, and relationships. Holistic care in nursing intends to support the healing of the totality of health and to enhance the patient's health and quality of life overall.
Some of the key aspects that it involves:
Whole Person Care
- Recognises the interconnectedness of physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, cultural, and social health.
- Nurses assess and treat the person as a whole, not just the diagnosis.
Personalised & Patient Centric
- Care is individualised for each specific patient’s needs, values, beliefs, and preferences.
- Patients participate in their care and in decision-making.
Therapeutic Relationships
- Woven into the nurse-patient relationship are trust, empathy, and respect.
- Nurses use active listening, are present, and communicate with compassion.
Complementary & Integrative Therapies
- May include non-medical strategies: meditation, massage, aromatherapy, guided imagery and healing touch in conjunction with traditional medicine.
- These will be employed when they are considered in consideration of patient choice, patient safety, and evidence.
Spiritual Care
- Addresses questions of meaning, purpose, belief systems, or spiritual distress.
- Though nurses do not offer religious care, they provide support: verbally or emotionally, or spiritual care; or refer if prayer, ritual, or family presence is needed.
Environmental Sensitivity
- Creating a healing environment. Quiet, clean, safe, and comforting is part of the care.
- Environmental considerations: lighting, amount of noise, presence of nature or animals, emotional tone, etc.
Untold & Unread History of Holistic Nursing
Going back and trying to understand the role holistic care in nursing has played in the field of healthcare is exceptional. To understand this, the history is divided into segments which involve:
Ancient Systems & Roots
Holistic care has ancient roots and has been mentioned in ancient origins. The traditional systems of Ayurveda from India, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and Greek healing philosophies recognised the human body as part of an interconnected system. In ancient times, when war was a common occurrence, healers were seen as guides who helped restore balance.
Florence Nightingale: The Pioneer
However, if we look at the modern roots of holistic nursing care, we will find one name whose contributions have led to significant changes. Florence Nightingale's work in the 1860s emphasises the fact that humans are to be put in the best condition through nursing so that nature can act upon them. She focused on things like touch and kindness with the healing properties of the physical environment which ncludes:
- Fresh air
- Sunlight
- Warmth
- Quite
- Cleanliness
Rise of Holistic Care Nursing In The 20th Century
In the later years, especially in the 1960s and 1970s, the emergence of alternative healing methods and whole person care was impacted by the dissatisfaction with the reductionist model of medicine. In response to this, nurses started to integrate spirituality, psychology, and Eastern practices into care.
Over the years, the contributions from Martha Rogers, Margaret Newman and Jean Watson have developed nursing. But none of them has affected it like Florence Nightingale.
Role of Patient Centred Care In Holistic Nursing Care
If the topic is nursing holistic care, then you cannot separate patient-centred care from it. This is driven by the fact that it plays a significant role in the academic scheme of things. These approaches reject the idea of a one-size-fits-all treatment model.
Philosophical Alignment
One of the core aspects of patient-centred care is collaboration, respect for individual preferences, a mutual sense of understanding, and shared decision-making. It helps you integrate the mind, body, and spirit connection that promotes self-healing. If we take a look at both of the approaches, they treat patients not just as isolated symptoms but aim to offer care and help that is in line with their values and lifestyle.
Personalisation Through A Holistic Lens
While patient-centred care seeks to personalise treatment based on a patient’s clinical history and preferences, the practice of holistic care nursing steps further into considering the patient’s life context. The context is made up of multiple data points outside of the clinical picture that include cultural beliefs, spiritual needs, emotions, and lifestyle. As these aspects will be different according to each patient’s requirements, the style of nursing has to be integrated.
Therapeutic Presence & Deep Listening
Being present intentionally with the patient during the procedure is a key aspect of therapeutic presence. It involves listening to the patient deeply, nurses giving the patient's attention, and non-judgmental support. Going by this approach, it builds trust, stimulates emotional safety, and may reveal underlying concerns that impact a patient’s healing process.
Empowering Patients As Active Participants
Holistic nursing solutions engage patients in their care process by encouraging empowerment and shared responsibility. It engages patients in decision-making, encourages questions, and extracts patient preferences about treatment. Complete nursing is a process that validates the understanding, intuition, and life experience that each patient possesses.
Developing Healing Environments
Holistic registered nurses strive to heal environments on all levels. This includes comfort to the physical body, as well as emotional and spiritual security. Healing environments include the use of aromatherapy, soothing music, art, or quiet time for contemplation and prayer. Thus, you will gather a better level of understanding, and the patient-related outcome will be more effective.
Cultural Humility & Inclusions
Holistic care in nursing highlights cultural humility, which is well beyond cultural competence. This means not only reflecting on oneself, being open to learning, and recognising a person's own values, biases, and culture, but also means acknowledging and honouring different values, beliefs, traditions, and healing practices. Holistic nurses recognise and honour different values, beliefs, and traditions that impact traditional healing practices, dietary restrictions, or traditional rituals.
Responsibilities of A Holistic Registered Nurse
Holistic nursing care comes with a wide range of responsibilities that need to be dealt with. As one of the core responsibilities is to cater to the demands of patients’ physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being, the responsibilities seem to become more thorough.
Patient Assessment
Nurses begin their assessments by performing assessments that go beyond the physical issues that patients go through. Patients' current emotional, physical, spiritual, and social well-being is studied along with their medical history. Personalised care planning is taken as a whole person approach where all the aspects are pinpointed.
Care Planning & Implementation
After conducting a complete assessment, nurses work with the patient to create an individualised care plan. The plan includes traditional medical care, but may also include complementary therapies, such as nutritional counselling, stress reduction techniques, and massage therapy. Thus, holistic registered nurse jobs require a range of functions to be performed.
Use of Complementary Modalities
Holistic registered nurses may use complementary therapies in patient care depending on their training and licensure. Complementary therapies may consist of guided imagery, meditation, aromatherapy, therapeutic touch, Reiki, or herbal remedies. They utilise these practices judiciously, and only when they are safe, evidence-informed, and within the nurse's scope of practice.
Emotional & Spiritual Support
As a vital aspect of healing, holistic nurses offer emotional and spiritual support. They are active listeners, provide a calming presence, and assist patients' exploration of personal values, purpose, and meaning. This is particularly in the face of chronic illness or at the end of life. The support offered by holistic nurses enhances comfort, dignity, and a sense of inner peace for patients and their families.
Advocacy & Ethical Practice
The nurses are firm believers in integrative care. They aid in the process of informing the patients and making sure they are a participant in their care decisions. Nurses seek to unite both traditional and holistic practices while observing closely ethical and legal obligations. Moreover, if you need expert help in this space, you can consult with the Assignment Writers due to our 14+ years of experience and thorough knowledge.
Conclusion
Holistic Nursing represents a significant advancement in the field of patient care. Taking aside the purely physical approach, to a more comprehensive and personal approach. Keeping the centre of attention and addressing factors like mind, body, spirit, culture, and environment, it is evident that the complete human being is the core. Beginning from the ancient societies, flowing through the Nightingale period. Now, it integrates modern and patient-centred care with a compassionate touch. Over such a large period of history, the roles and responsibilities have also seen a dynamic change that nurses and holistic registered nurse jobs abide by.
