Mary Koroma
Bowie State University
Abstract
There have been a lot of innovations and inventions in the way healthcare services have been provided to persons in the country. Such advancements in the healthcare delivery process have seen improvements in terms of the modalities through which patients receive treatments and the pharmaceuticals needed to address their specific problems. Similarly, there are other techniques that are being taken into account in addressing the healthcare issues of people in the country. This paper will provide an in-depth analysis of the alternative treatment techniques that can be used in ensuring that patients come out with similar outcomes just like with the conventional techniques. The most notable of these techniques is the traditional and the complimentary ones (Dossey et al., 2012). The paper will also give an analysis of the risks and benefits associated with utilizing these procedures of care provision. Incorporating traditional and holistic techniques in the care provision process will also be discussed with intentions of having an understanding of how these processes can result in optimal client satisfaction. An interview with care provider about the effectiveness of one of the techniques will be the concluding item.
On the other hand, the conventional types of nursing interventions dwell on the fact that no scientific or evidence- based practices are utilized in the care provision process. The nursing process is dependent on utilizing knowledge from traditional experiences which are shared from generation to the other one by word of mouth or read from traditional textbooks. It should be noted that while this form of care provision may be successful in many instances, it does not take into consideration scientific and research in the process of care provision (Makic, et al., 2012). The primary focus is on utilizing the trial and error mode of care provision. Such methods may have been successful for others but may not always be successful when utilized on other persons. From this realization, therefore, the outcomes of these interventions may be questionable in most cases. As such, this method of nursing may not have the required outcomes that patients actually deserve. It is, however, noteworthy that in as much as these methods may be having some questionable outcomes, most healthcare facilities have been making use of them and in most instances, the outcomes have been desirable both to the patient in terms of safety and quality. Additionally, it is crucial to note that the traditional methods of care provision are an inexpensive form of giving care to a patient. As such, there are financial implications that usually follow this treatment regimen is cheaper compared to the conventional treatment methods that use modern medicines that have undergone a lot of scientific processes to be developed thereby making them quite expensive. The subsequent expenses from one stage of a drug trial to another are accumulatively added to the final product, hence pushing the prices of modern medicines high beyond consumer’s purchasing power.
It is imperative to consider that the integration of the complementary treatment systems into the healthcare system is crucial in solving the problems that the health care system usually faces on a day to day basis. The potential benefits associated with this model of care provision include; an expansion of the health care system, improved treatment options, increased levels of patient satisfaction, and improved therapeutic outcomes. Additionally, from the application of techniques like humor, acupressure, massage, meditation, guided imagery and the healing touch technique, the expected advantages of this system will entail; improved levels of connection between the nurses and the patients, reduced levels of pain to the patient, relief of tension, an easy facilitation of the expression process and reduced anxiety levels. In general, these techniques are targeted at improving the longevity of individuals with chronic illnesses like cancers and cardiovascular complications (Blacher & Rundio, 2014). Therefore, the patient is in a good position to manage symptoms associated with these chronic illnesses. The possible risks associated with the application of these techniques in the care delivery process are mainly the side effects related to these interventions. For instance, using dietary supplements in the process may lead to the patient developing particular complications like hemorrhage, hypertension or hypoglycemia. Additionally, this concept does not take into consideration the cultural backgrounds of the patients being treated and as such, may mean that the ethical factor of the care provision process is not adequately addressed. Hence, a patient may feel his/her personal concerns, values, norms and preferences are not taken into account by the care plan and caregivers are ignorant of personal needs.
In the same direction, traditional forms of medical interventions have got both benefits and risks associated with them. The potential benefits that one will be derived from this system of treatment are based on the fact that there is an integration of the mind, body, and soul in the treatment process. As such, the concept of holistic nursing has been achieved through this intervention since there have been instances of improved health and boosted levels of life quality from the process (Corry et al., 2013). Additionally, this treatment technique has been helpful in changing ailments from the chronic state to the acute one. As such, the levels of suffering to the patient have been adequately addressed. A potential risk of utilizing this technique, however, is the fact that the possibilities of damages occurring in tissues under the skin in the event that a technique like burning therapy is applied is a likely outcome. This technique is a probable cause of excessive heating to the affected area. By extension also, surrounding tissues may also be harmed in the process. This could result in a situation that may have long-term effects on the patient.
The nursing process is supposed to dwell on the combination of different techniques with the objectives of ensuring that patients come out with desirable outcomes from the care that they are receiving from this process. From this realization, therefore, it is imperative that nurses be actively involved in the process of combining traditional and holistic care with the objectives of providing satisfactory levels of care to the patient (Eliopoulos, 2014). It is worth noting that most traditional interventions have got a lot of weaknesses which are associated with them and as such, there is the need to take into consideration the fact by having a complete understanding of the needs of the patient in terms of the mind, body and soul, it will prove to be a major milestone in achieving holistic care of the patient (Dossey et al., 2013). Nurses are tasked with analyzing the specific healthcare needs of patients with the intentions of having a better understanding of the exact interventions that they can employ to solve the patient’s problems. Combining the traditional and the complementary interventions in this process will prove to be beneficial in the long run in achieving holistic care to the patient under this model of care. Additionally, an integration of the traditional and holistic care is essential in the sense that nurses are able to evaluate the potential risks and benefits of particular interventions with the objectives of finding out which model is the most effective to be used on a particular patient. An instance where the combination of these two interventions is evident is the event that a nurse may have to determine the efficacy of vitamins found in their traditional forms like fruits and vegetables and also the ones found in supplements (Makic et al., 2013). Choosing between these two types of bodily minerals may prove important to the well being of the patient, thereby resulting in achieving the objectives of holistic care in the nursing process. Finally, by patients having an understanding of the specific diagnostic procedures, it will be easier for them to understand the results expected of particular treatment regimens so as to determine the most effective plan for them.
I got the privilege of contacting and interviewing RN Kate who utilizes aromatherapy in her practice. I contacted her since I have been struggling with skin rashes ever since my childhood years. She employed natural oils from natural sources which included; roots, stems, flowers and fruits. I came to realize that this therapy has got both physical and psychological outcomes on my well-being, a concept which is in line with the model of complementary interventions. The benefits linked with this therapy are that the oils applied on my skin ended up in my blood stream thereby cleansing the substances responsible for skin rashes (Vickers et al., 2013). Moreover, the disinfectants associated with these oils were essential in taking care of the rashes thereby assisting me in having a spotless clean skin. Additionally; this treatment therapy also improved my mental functioning from the sweet smell that these natural oils produced.
Conclusively, it is worth noting that the treatment process and patient care are crucial techniques which are necessary for making sure that patients emerge with desirable outcomes. It is imperative for the health practitioners when planning for care plan to identify the needs of the patients and design a care plan that capture these needs. The conventional models of treatment and care provision have been observed to result in positive consequences on the side of the patient. This paper has, however shown that by care providers employing complementary and traditional forms of care provision for patients, they have served as methods of achieving results which are the same as those ones provided by the conventional models. Even though these models may have some risks associated with them, they have proved to be effective alternatives in solving the ailments that may seem expensive if they were treated using the conventional methodologies.
References
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Corry, M., Clarke, M., While, A. E., & Lalor, J. (2013). Developing complex interventions for nursing: a critical review of key guidelines. Journal of clinical nursing, 22(17-18), 2366-2386.
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Eliopoulos, C. (2014). Invitation to Holistic Health: A Guide to Living a Balanced Life. 3rd ed. Burlington, M.A. Jones and Bartlett Learning.
Makic, M. B. F., Martin, S. A., Burns, S., Philbrick, D., & Rauen, C. (2013). Putting evidence into nursing practice: four traditional practices not supported by the evidence. Critical care nurse, 33(2), 28-42.
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Vickers, A., Stevensen, C., & Van Toller, S. (2013). Massage and aromatherapy: a guide for health professionals. Springer.
