Healing Hospital
Healing Hospital: A Daring Paradigm
Betty Cronier
Grand Canyon University
Spirituality in Health Care
HLT 310V
Debbie Whitler, BS, MA
May 15, 2011
Healing Hospital: A Daring Paradigm
As stated by Erie Chapman “healing hospitals” are centers of love characterized by a myriad of wonderful encounters, many small and a few large (2011). This paradigm of such a caring concept focuses on removing stressors for patients, families and caregivers from the clinical environment. These stressors inhibit healing but are inherent to this milieu. Realizing that the hospital environment is generally thought of as a place for the diagnosing and the treating of ailments and injuries of the patient, the intrinsic factor of relieving such stressful factors as painful treatments and loss of personal freedom and worth related to prolonged hospitalization and expense of complicated procedures are minimized by recognizing the worth of touching the mind, body and spirit and maintaining comprehensive care through attention to dignity and privacy. The emergence of this concept aims to enhance the overall well-being of the patients’ and their families’ cognitive, emotional and spiritual concerns (Milstein, 2005).
Overcoming the barriers that exist in the arena of the hospital setting is the underpinning of the paradigm of the “healing hospital”. This paper will examine all aspects of the “caring environment” through the connection with the spiritual enlightenment mixed with the clinical care of the patients, families and caregivers.
Components of a Healing Hospital
The “healing hospital” as discussed in Radical Loving Care is not made of just walls, windows and mortar but exudes the culture of love and caring (Chapman, 2011). The three fundamental components of this hospital are a healing physical environment, the integration of work design and technology and the culture of Radical Loving Care. When these components intertwine with the framework of the Golden Thread, they
Betty Cronier
Grand Canyon University
Spirituality in Health Care
HLT 310V
Debbie Whitler, BS, MA
May 15, 2011
Healing Hospital: A Daring Paradigm
As stated by Erie Chapman “healing hospitals” are centers of love characterized by a myriad of wonderful encounters, many small and a few large (2011). This paradigm of such a caring concept focuses on removing stressors for patients, families and caregivers from the clinical environment. These stressors inhibit healing but are inherent to this milieu. Realizing that the hospital environment is generally thought of as a place for the diagnosing and the treating of ailments and injuries of the patient, the intrinsic factor of relieving such stressful factors as painful treatments and loss of personal freedom and worth related to prolonged hospitalization and expense of complicated procedures are minimized by recognizing the worth of touching the mind, body and spirit and maintaining comprehensive care through attention to dignity and privacy. The emergence of this concept aims to enhance the overall well-being of the patients’ and their families’ cognitive, emotional and spiritual concerns (Milstein, 2005).
Overcoming the barriers that exist in the arena of the hospital setting is the underpinning of the paradigm of the “healing hospital”. This paper will examine all aspects of the “caring environment” through the connection with the spiritual enlightenment mixed with the clinical care of the patients, families and caregivers.
Components of a Healing Hospital
The “healing hospital” as discussed in Radical Loving Care is not made of just walls, windows and mortar but exudes the culture of love and caring (Chapman, 2011). The three fundamental components of this hospital are a healing physical environment, the integration of work design and technology and the culture of Radical Loving Care. When these components intertwine with the framework of the Golden Thread, they
References: Chapman, E. (2011). Radical loving care: Building the healing hospital in America. Nashville, TN: Eric Chapman Foundation. Milstein, J. (2005). A paradigm of integrative care: Healing with couring throughout life, “being with” and “doing to”. Journal of Perinatology, 25, 563 - 568. doi: 10.1038/sj.jp7211358 O’Brien, M. E. (2011). Spirituality in nursing: Standing on holy ground (Fourth Edition ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning. The golden thread of compassionate care defined: The healing hospital. (2011). Retrieved May 11, 2011, from http://www.mercygilbert.org/Patients_And Visitors/189191 Watson, J. (n.d). Care for the journey: The caring moment. Retrieved from May 12, 2011, from http://www.companionarts.org/care2Jean.htm