6.1 Patient-Centered and Holistic Health Care
Nurses have the privilege of providing patient-centered care (PCC) in every setting. Patient-centered care includes working with the patient to ensure they are an equal partner in the healthcare process. Nurses should recognize that providing patient-centered care increases the patient’s interaction among other team members, such as specialists and social workers. When healthcare providers work together to develop common goals, improved patient care outcomes are the result. When incorporating a more patient-centered approach, interaction among providers is resourced in a more cost-effective, efficient manner. Thoughtful practice is providing care in a way that reflects compassion and incorporates empathy for a patient’s unique situation. Nurses can foster open, therapeutic nurse–patient relationships with thoughtful practice. Nurses can provide multiple holistic interventions into patient care, such as aromatherapy, guided imagery, hydrotherapy, massage, and progressive relaxation. Nurses also have the opportunity to assess and educate patients throughout the life span, accommodating for the patient’s mind, body, and spiritual needs.
6.2 Foundations for Providing Person-Centered Care
Nurses are responsible for providing person-centered, patient-centered, and holistic care in every healthcare setting, from parish/faith communities to acute care settings. It is the nurse’s responsibility to assess the patient’s needs—physical, emotional, and spiritual—before assisting the patient in developing a care plan. The nurse should address the physical considerations involved in providing person-centered care, such as the patient’s need for safety during care. The nurse should include emotional considerations involved in providing person-centered care, such as including the patient’s family when planning care with the patient, and recognizing the patient’s need for love and belonging. Finally, the nurse should recognize spiritual considerations involved in providing person-centered care by not only including spirituality of the patient in the care plan but also reviewing their own spirituality.