If, however, no standards on spiritual care have been designed, nurses should be able to address the need for spiritual care through various means. Since spirituality is unique and distinct according to diverse patients’ beliefs, value systems, and adherence to cultural traditions and norms, nurses should first have the capabilities and skills to comprehensively and accurately assess spiritual orientations. Subsequently, proposed interventions should be able to take into consideration a balance of physical, emotional, and spiritual needs to accord a more holistic approach to healing. As emphasized, holistic nursing practice, which covers the spiritual care aspect, “recognizes the body-mind-spirit connection of persons, and demands its practitioners integrate self-care and self-responsibility into their own lives” .
For instance, if the patient is a devout Catholic, it could be expected that part of the healing process could necessitate spiritual refurbishment through reading verses from the Holy Bible, providing opportunities to attend mass, or according spiritual guidance and counselling from priests, as requested. This could all be provided in conjunction with medical interventions that are explicitly designed to address physical ailments. Spiritual care is deemed a crucial aspect of a patient’s healing process; which could facilitate immediate cure of diagnosed illnesses.
Works Cited
AHNA. Description of Holistic Nursing. Flagstaff, AZ: AHNA, 1992/revised 1998. Print.
Frisch, Noreen Cavan. Standards for Holistic Nursing Practice: A Way to Think About Our Care That Includes Complementary and Alternative Modalities. 2001. http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Volume62001/No2May01/HolisticNursingPractice.html. 22 June 2013.
