The Heritage Of Health And Healing

Shelly, J., & Miller, A. (2006). Called to care a Christian worldview for nursing (2nd ed.).

Over the last one hundred years there has been a great change in the way nurses, doctors, and others in the medical field, as well as the general public, have come to view health and wellness. Where once health was thought to only be comprised of our physical body and the physical things that affect it, we now know that health encompasses so much more. We know that who we are is made up not only of the physical body, but also of mind, and spirit (Koerner, 2011), and that this not only affects each of us individually but also those

Furthermore, ANA recognized the Health Ministries Association (HMA) as a membership organization that brought together all the faith community nurses in the United States. Later in 1998, HMA's Scope and Standards of Parish Nursing Practice were published and revised in 2005. Other than spiritual health, the FCN predominantly uses interventions of counseling, education, active listening, referral, advocacy, and prayer. However, spiritual care varies from one parish to another depending on the faith community practices and beliefs. Breisch et al. (2013) have acknowledged that advocating for suitable levels of care for vulnerable populations, individuals with healthcare resources access limitations, and healthcare consumers with low-literacy skills are some of the aspects that community nursing should support. FCNs roles include initiating referrals for clinical treatment, assisting in acquiring home care resources, helping with extended care arrangements and supporting healthcare consumers to have access to provider appointments, consequently enhancing health literacy. The FCN perceives the whole faith community and churches as healthcare consumer (Breisch et al., 2013). Faith community nurses participate in the promotion of community awareness related to significant health issues, in addition to developing community collaborations for health

Today in our society the culture of hospital mainly concentrates on treating symptoms and curing patient physically rather than treating patients as whole. A holistic approach is invented in healing hospital. This paradigm encompasses healing person as a whole by upholding harmony of mind, body and spirit. According to Erie Chapman the president and CEO of the trust, the main commitment of healing hospital is to deliver and fashion a radical loving care ("Journal of Sacred work," 2009). In this essay writer will discuss the apparatuses of healing hospital and its relation to spirituality;

The American Nurses Association (ANA) and Health Ministries Association (HMA) have described Faith Community Nursing (FCN) as a form of a specialized nursing practice carried out by a nurse within a faith community (American Nurses Association & Health Ministries Association, 2012). The role played by the FCN is to protect, promote, and optimize health and abilities, prevent illness and injury, and respond to distress regarding the practice beliefs and the values of a faith community. The FCN emphases on the purposeful care of the spirit as well as the promotion of holistic health and prevention and the reduction of illness (ANA & HMA, 2012). Furthermore, the FCN plays a significant role in developing community partnerships required to

The healing hospital paradigm focuses on the removal of stress and other health risks in the hospital environment for both patients and visitors. These factors are intrinsic to the hospital setting and not the ailments being treated within. For example, stress for patients is generated through painful therapeutic procedures, loss of social life, change in financial status due to the healthcare expenditures, etc. Minimization of these stressors ensures that the patient’s well-being is maintained while the comprehensive care and attention aspects

A growing topic in healthcare today is the focus on promoting a “healing” environment. While many consider all hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers to be healing facilities they are not recognized as such by the Baptist Healing Trust of Nashville Tennessee. To be deemed a “healing hospital” a facility possesses three key components which are not only physical in nature but spiritual as well. By recognizing the relationship between the two, a facility is able to overcome many of the barriers that present challenges for other companies. By identifying the key components and broken barriers one can

The medical field of nursing is based on servitude in God’s mission and through the means of compassion. Our missional goals must align with God’s (Wright, 2012). Nursing consists of care and compassion for the disadvantaged, weak, sick, and injured. This is in addition to the pursuit of high standards in professionalism, articulated in the delivery of a valuable service that is based on unique knowledge and experience, performed ethically, and practiced autonomously. The major characteristic of compassion is from God and how it relates to this world of professionalism is seen through nursing. Any job that advances God’s work in the world is a Godly choice (Col. 1:16-20).

The pervasive influence of scientific empiricism and Darwinism, “inevitably resulted in the establishment of the idea that the final reality is impersonal matter or energy being shaped into its present form by impersonal chance” (Schaeffer, 1981, p. 18). This change in worldview caused the removal of one of the basic foundations of nursing, the Bible. Throughout the Gospels we see that the ultimate purpose for physical healing was to restore people to a vital relationship with God and the community” (Shelly and Miller, 2006, p.24). Being able to demonstrate the value of this goal for today’s nurse is another important reason for me to understand nursing theory and history and how it applies to my philosophy of nursing.

We reflecting the author’s own culture, she like many people in the United States are a blend of many different cultures and ethnicity. By not having one single ethnic culture her family views health traditions based on their religion of Christian Scientist. Being raised in this religion molded views of health promotion, prevention and treatment that influence her health behaviors today. There is a difference of opinion between Christian Science and traditional medical views. “Christian Scientist interpret disease from a spiritual view where medicine interprets disease from a material point of view” (Stoddard, 2010). As a child our family was raised with the belief that good nutrition, physical activity, and the role of positive thinking and mind over matter, would provide health and help us remain strong and healthy. Not having over the counter medications or turning to traditional medicine for simple medical issues was chosen as our families way of viewing illness. Growing up with the view of health and illness as spiritual using techniques such as meditation, prayer and positive thinking, has stayed as a health tradition among our families beliefs and practices to this day. Today modern medicine is looking at the mind as a valuable tool to prepare persons and bodys for wellness and rehabilitation. An example of this would be biofeedback. This is a technique where people are

For health care providers to deliver the best holistic care that patients deserve, a thorough spiritual assessment must be included during their care. With more research showing a relationship between supporting a patient’s spirituality with their health and ability to cope with illness, it is now a requirement of organizations to include a spiritual assessment to maintain accreditation with The Joint Commission. The minimum required of a spiritual assessment by The Joint Commission is to determine the patient’s religion and

Understanding and meeting a patient’s spiritual needs can significantly reduce their suffering whilst facing a health complication. Also, by recognising these beliefs, the nurse is not only given the opportunity to show respect but is also able to assist in providing extra support, for example, the nurse may be able to arrange a special visit from the local chaplain or minister. Spiritual needs can be assessed through questions but also through observations of the patient’s belongings and even the patient’s behaviour. It is important for a nurse to establish what their own spiritual needs and remember that they do not need to share the same beliefs as their patient in order to a successful and compassionate

Spirituality is a delicate topic, and some may not be open to talking about their beliefs. Spirituality is generally understood to be an essential aspect of being human (Lyndo-Lam, 2012). Assessing the spiritual needs of patients is a key component in the nursing process. A compassionate and thoughtful nurse can make a patient feel more secure, making it easier for him to express his spirituality. The participation of both patient and health care provider is vital in promoting spiritual health. The main focus of a spiritual assessment is to gather information regarding the patient’s spiritual needs in order incorporate them into the plan of care, so as to treat

Spirituality is considered one of the components of health and wellness, and is a contributory factor in the delivery of holistic care (O’Shea, Wallace, Griffin, & Fitzpatrick, 2011). It only makes sense for us nurses to study and research spirituality since the nursing profession is committed to holistic development, which includes the spiritual dimension of life. However, elements such as time constraints, short staffing, insufficient formal education related to spiritual assessment and confusion between spirituality and religion have led to spirituality becoming a disregarded component of care (O’Shea et al., 2011). Adolescence is a crucial time in the development of a person’s spiritual path (Benson & Roehlkepartain, 2008). Findings showed that most adolescents hold spiritual or religious beliefs already and choose to draw on them when experiencing life-changing events. Despite this information, healthcare professionals overlook the spiritual needs of adolescents (Neuman, 2011).

Nurses that listen to their patients, not only notice that they are physically hurt, but they can also notice their emotional wounds. The empathy of knowing that the patient is emotionally hurt is part of the spirituality connection. Therefore, they might need comfort. O’Brien (2001) states that, “ No other profession provides the opportunity to touch and be touched by the human spirit as does the practice of nursing. It is this intimacy that calls us to reverence: reverence for God as our creator and Lord…” (pg.110). Nurses have the privilege to connect with people in ways that no other profession may be able to provide. Since nurses are patients advocate, our duty is to connect them with their spiritual beliefs and