Holism
Concepts in Nursing: Baker University School of Nursing
By: Josh Witt
Nursing care is provided in many different places and situations. While the modality of nursing care may change, the humanistic style of care doesn’t need to. Despite the method of delivery, a holistic approach to nursing is capable of being implanted everywhere. The holistic health model incorporates emotional, spiritual, and other aspects of the person into their physical wellness (Potter and Perry, 2013). The holistic approach allows nurses to recognize that the human body is capable of healing and maintaining its’ health; using this knowledge, complementary therapies and alternative interventions can be used instead of…show more content… This is important because it is central to the healing relationship. Having a hope in something is a motivation as well as a means of finding strategies for facing life’s challenges (Duggleby, Cooper, and Penz, 2009). This is beneficial for the nurse because suddenly the nurse has a greater purpose other than giving medication or taking vitals. The nurse is now a key player in a therapeutic relationship. Hope for the patient, gives a sense of worth and motivates them to accomplish a desired…show more content… While nursing often seems to focus on the physiological aspect, the holistic approach reminds its’ users that help is available to patients through emotional, spiritual, and social resources. The healing relationship that should be formed between a nurse and a patient is supported by understanding the patient’s spiritual, emotional, and social needs- instead of just expecting the physiological approach to be all encompassing. In fact, it is important because holism offers effective, economical, noninvasive, nonpharmacological complements to the medical care they are already receiving that they might not be responding to as effectively (Dossey and Keegan,