Role of Spirituality in Holistic Nursing Care

A holistic nurse is one who cares for the entire well-being of the patient, not only the physical mechanics.

Holistic nursing is a type of nursing that focuses on the patient as a whole, recognizing that other aspects of a patient besides their physical health can affect them and can also be part of their health. This type of nursing "requires nurses to integrate self-care, self-responsibility, spirituality, and reflection in their lives."

Hesitancy

Nurses may be cautious in integrating spirituality into their work, worried that it is too closely tied to religion. religion image by Katrina Miller from Fotolia.com

Some nurses may see spirituality as too religious or not something that is in their job description. They may see this as more along the job lines of the pastoral care workers in the hospital.

Significance

Nurses can help patients use the patients' own beliefs to assist in healing. Menora image by fra from Fotolia.com

Michelle Wensley, the acting Assistant Director of Nursing, Research and Special Projects at St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, Australia, describes spiritual care provided by nurses as "helping patients express their beliefs and by staying with them during the events of their illness." Rather than being a purely religious role, nurses are allowing patients to use their own beliefs to assist in convalescence.

Why Me?

Patients can be dealing with very serious questions about life when dealing with health problems. question mark image by Georgios Kollidas from Fotolia.com

In some cases, nurses will encounter patients who are facing spiritual crises because of their health problems. Integrating spirituality in these cases is, as it is in many cases for nurses, listening to the patients work through their own beliefs about life and how their health affects this spiritual aspect of their lives.

Closeness

Holistic nursing is a natural extension of the nursing profession because of the very close nature of their caregiving to their patients. nurse with baby image by Alx from Fotolia.com

Nurses are in the special position to be a holistic health care provider to their patients partially because of their role as caregivers. Many barriers are dissolved very quickly because of how closely nurses work with their patients.

Results

Hope is one of the most positive things that can result from spiritual integration in holistic nursing. Hope image by Pete Linforth from Fotolia.com

If spirituality is appropriately integrated into nursing as holistic nursing decrees it should be, patients' health experiences can be more positive, as well as those of the nurses. One of the most positive aspects of this type of situation is the hope that the patient can acquire which will assist their healing process.

References

• American Holistic Nurses Association
• St. Vincent's Hospital Sydney: Spirituality in Nursing