Holistic Care and Treatments Essay.

Holistic Care and Treatments Essay.

INTRODUCTION

Holistic care is a comprehensive model of caring which is believed to be the heart of the science of nursing. The philosophy behind holistic care is based on the idea of holism which emphasizes that for human beings the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and that mind and spirit affect the body. Holistic Care and Treatments Essay. Holistic care is described as a behavior that recognizes a person as a whole and acknowledges the interdependence among one’s biological, social, psychological, and spiritual aspects. Holistic care includes a wide range of approaches, including medication, education, communication, self-help, and complementary treatment.In holistic nursing, all aspects of patients and their effects on the treatment process are considered and the patients’ thoughts, emotions, cultures, opinions, and attitudes are factored in as contributing to recovery, happiness, and satisfaction. Holistic care respects human dignityThe relationship between the providers of health care and the patients is based on respect, relative openness, equality, and mutuality and patients participate in decision making in this kind of caring. Holistic Care and Treatments Essay.

Providers of holistic care consider a patient as a whole within his/her environment and realize that a patient is made up of a body, mind, and spirit. Respecting the patient’s role in the treatment process, having him/her take part in the process and encouraging self-care is another aspect of holistic care which leads to therapeutic consultation, hope, dignity, self-discipline, social growth, a sense of autonomy, vigor, and vitality.

Holistic care increases the depth of care providers’ understanding of patients and their needs. Educating patients about self-care and helping them to perform their daily activities independently is part of holistic care. Palliative care is part of holistic care which improves the quality of a patient’s life and their emotional and physical well-being. Holistic care increases self-awareness and self-confidence in patients and causes nurses to better understand the effects of an illness on a person’s entire life and his/her true needs. It also improves harmony between mind, body, emotions, and spirit in an ever-changing environment;The American Association of Holistic Nurses supports this belief and points out that holistic nursing includes all the nursing practices that heal the whole of a person. Holistic Care and Treatments Essay.

In many hospitals, nurses do not have the freedom to perform their tasks independently and their actions are often observed by doctors. Using holistic care as the framework will result in major changes in the treatment process, a better public view of the nursing profession, and nurses’ autonomy. The holistic care paradigm has been presented to the health-care systems in many cultures and it can be used in every area of nursing.Holistic care is not a new method; Florence Nightingale developed this type of nursing as a better model of caring; many other nursing theorists, e.g. Ragers, Newman, and Parse have also emphasized holistic care. Holistic Care and Treatments Essay.

Unfortunately, there is compelling evidence that most nurses have been educated with a biomedical allopathic focus and do not have a good understanding of the meaning of holistic care. Furthermore, it has been suggested that nurses are not familiar with holistic care, neglect this model of caring, do not use this method, and consider patients’ corporeal needs only. In this regard, patients’ other needs and sometimes more serious problems are not addressed. The mental, spiritual, and social needs of patients are neglected and patients are considered as biological machines. Holistic Care and Treatments Essay.

Using the ordinary medical model alone for treatment exposes patients to serious threats, prolongs hospitalization, and raises treatment costs. In many countries, such as the UK, Australia, and Iran, holistic aspects of patients’ needs are often overlooked. Similar studies conducted in the USA have revealed that 67% of American patients in hospitals do not receive holistic care,and a study conducted in England showed that only 5% of hospitalized patients were subject to holistic care. Holistic Care and Treatments Essay.

This presents as a major crisis for the nursing profession. Considering the beneficial effects of holistic care, the identification of contributory factors is of importance for providing this method of caring. A review of literature in this field shows that most studies have been limited to specific areas, such as operating rooms or older patients who were terminally sick.Other studies attempt to explain the concep