NRS 433 How do you see this being applied in your workplace

NRS 433 How do you see this being applied in your workplace

According to the textbook, nurses in various settings are adopting a research-based (or evidence-based) practice that incorporates research findings into their decisions and interactions with patients. How do you see this being applied in your workplace? In addition, how can you strive to make spirituality and self-care a practice for your patients as well as yourself? How does this practice align with the Christian worldview?

Nurses use the principles of evidence-based practice to make optimal decisions about patient care. When nurses integrate the best available science into their practice, they work from a holistic and patient-centered approach (Lehane et al. 2018). Evidence-based practices have proven to lead to better patient, provider, and institutional outcomes, such as more consistent care and reduced costs. When scientific evidence is applied to practice, it helps deliver high-quality, safe care and improves patient outcomes (Lehane et al.  2018). Also, it can save time, as nurses can stop engaging in activities that have no known benefit to patients. For example, nurses used to spend up to 20 minutes a day bathing each patient and changing their dressings, until recent research revealed that some dressings are better left in place longer and that daily baths don’t impact outcomes (University of St Augustine, 2020). However, there are some circumstances it may be indicated to perform these practices daily or even more often, but it depends on the individual case.

Spirituality is a key element in patient-centered care as it takes a patient’s faith and belief systems into account when providing care thus allowing patients. Nurses use relationships and therapeutic communication to meet the needs of the mind, and physical therapeutic interventions such as medications or procedures to meet the needs of the body (Connerton et al. 2018). For my patients, firstly I conduct a spiritual assessment to identify the spiritual needs and preferences of patients. For spiritually inclined patients, prayer has served as a primary means of experiencing consolation, healing, and hope. I am a Christian and, in some instances, I would ask my patients if they would like me to pray with them or offer some encouraging words as well as listening to their concerns with a compassionate heart. In addition to this, I would also consult the hospital chaplain for catholic patients to pray, receive holy communion and provide spiritual counseling.

While attending to the needs of patients is certainly at the core of what it means to be a nurse but attending to their own self-care through practices like mindful body scanning, prayer, and meditative walking becomes equally important. My self- care regimen involves spending time with my family, going to Sunday mass and doing things that I enjoy.

References

Connerton et al. (2018). The Essence of Spiritual Care. Retrieved from https://connect.springerpub.com/highwire_display/entity_view/node/68885/full – :~:text=Nursing%20skills%20essential%20for%20effective,to%20spoken%20and%20unspoken%20words.