Spirituality in Health Care
Spirituality in Health Care The Healing Hospital paradigm is a concept that aims to treat patients holistically. Using the hospital environment it’s self as the healing vessel. The focus is to relieve stressors that may impend healing by creating a milieu atmosphere. 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). Healing hospitals use love as its fundamental base in the treatment of all patients. The design of hospital is also involved. Beauty in the patents space, room transition threw the spectrum of care as the healing process takes place. This includes family centered care and, opportunities for religious practices are encouraged. Traditional western medicine hospitals diagnose, and treat ailments but are not focused on what the human needs are for healing. Stress responses in the body are necessary for fight or flight situations, they are meant to protect. If they continue chronically, the body will not be focused on healing. Stress alters immune system responses and suppresses the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/SR00001). Once the perceived threat has passed, the body can go back to homeostasis. Patients in the hospital have perceived threats, of death, painful treatments loss of autonomy, and much more. Challenges in creating a healing environment in the hospitals is the foreignness of what makes up the environment, machines, tools, hanging medications, tubes, and wires. Patient being put on NPO diets, lab techs drawing blood in the middle of the night. Bed alarms go off when patients just want to walk to the bathroom. The beds are not what they are used to, Sequential Compression Devises (SCD) are inflating deflating all night. The day starts at seven with bedside report whether that is normal for the patient or not. Patients that don’t like TV don’t
References: Chapman, E. (2003). Radical loving care Building the healing hospital in America. Nashville, Tennessee 37203: Baptist Healing Hospital Trust. Ellis, H. K., & Narayanasamy, A. (2009). An investigation into the role of spirituality in nursing. British Journal of Nursing, 18, 886-890. Miner-Williams, D. (2005). Making sense of spirituality Putting a puzzle together making spirituality meaningful for nursing using an evolving theoretical framework. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 15, 811-821. Retrieved from doi:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2006.01351.x O’Brien, M. E. (2011). Spirituality in nursing Standing on holy ground (4th ed.). Sudbury, MA 01776: Jones & Bartlett Learning. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/SR00001