scholarly journals Comparing and Contrasting Patient and Health Care Professional Views on Spiritual Care: Implications for Practice

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. 116s-116s
Author(s):  
M. Fitch
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Spiritual Care ◽  
Advanced Disease ◽  
Clinical Environment ◽  
Health Care Environment ◽  
Missed Opportunities ◽  
Spiritual Distress ◽  
Health Care Practitioners ◽  
Simple Question ◽  
The Individual

Background: Providing spiritual care has been identified as important in cancer care, especially for those individuals who are living with advanced disease. However, the busy nature of the current health care environment has created challenges for health care practitioners to identify spiritual distress and engage in appropriate interventions. Aim: This project was undertaken to deepen our understanding of spiritual care and the realities of identifying spiritual distress in a busy clinical environment. We sought to identify if there was a simple question that would be useful in screening for spiritual distress when used by the frontline provider. Methods: Patients with advanced disease (N=16) and health care practitioners (N=21) who care for them were interviewed in depth using an open-ended approach. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed separately for each group and themes identified. Subsequently, the perspectives from each group were compared, and common as well as discordance perspectives were identified. Results: Common views included spirituality as unique to the individual; spiritual distress as isolation, loneliness, and a sense of disconnection; spiritual care as listening, being with, and engendering a sense of connectedness; and identifying spiritual distress as needing a conversation rather than a single question. Contrasting views were seen in the difficulty health care practitioners had in describing spirituality, giving examples of spiritual distress and spiritual care from their own practices, and seeing a role for themselves in providing spiritual care. Patients, on the other hand, easily described these concepts and offered eloquent examples of their experiences related to spirituality and receiving spiritual care. Conclusion: Health care practitioners in this study struggled in describing spirituality and identifying roles for themselves in providing spiritual care. Patients considered spiritual care as important to their experience of living with advanced disease and expected it would be provided by their practitioners. The variation in perspectives could contribute to “missed opportunities” to support individuals and provide meaningful spiritual care.

scholarly journals Framing the Shades of Sustainability in Health Care: Pitfalls and Perspectives from Western EU Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elio Borgonovi ◽  
Paola Adinolfi ◽  
Rocco Palumbo ◽  
Gabriella Piscopo
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Financial Economic ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Health Care Environment ◽  
Health Gains ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
The One ◽  
The Individual

Sustainability is momentous for the appropriate functioning of health care systems. In fact, health and sustainability are two strictly related values, which could not be separately sought. While studies discussing the contextualization of this issue with respect to the distinguishing attributes of health care systems are rapidly blooming, there is still little agreement about what is ultimately meant by sustainability in the health care arena. On the one hand, attention is primarily focused on the proper use of available financial resources; on the other hand, people engagement and empowerment are gradually arising as a crucial step to enhance the viability of the health care system. This paper tries to identify, from a conceptual point of view inspired by the European integrative movement, the different shades of sustainability in health care and proposes a recipe to strengthen the long-term viability of health care organizations. The balanced mix of financial, economic, political, and social sustainability is compelling to increase the ability of health care organizations to create meaningful value for the population served. However, the focus on a single dimension of sustainability is thought to engender several side effects, which compromise the capability of health care organizations to guarantee health gains at the individual and collective levels. From this standpoint, further conceptual and practical developments are envisioned, paving the way for a full-fledged understanding of sustainability in the health care environment.

scholarly journals Professional nurses' understanding of clinical judgement: A contextual inquiry

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 280-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna C. Van Graan ◽  
Martha J.S. Williams ◽  
Magdalena P. Koen
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Nursing Care ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Clinical Judgement ◽  
Clinical Environment ◽  
Health Care Environment ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Health Care Clinics ◽  
Professional Nurses

Higher cognitive skills are essential competencies for nurses joining the technologically and increasingly complex health care environment to provide safe and effective nursing care. Educators and clinical facilitators have recognised that newly qualified nurses do not meet the expectations for entry level clinical judgement and are held accountable for finding adequate learning experiences as preparation for such practice demands. An explorative and descriptive qualitative design was followed in this study to reach an understanding of clinical judgement in the clinical nursing environment from the perspective of professional nurses. Eleven professional nurses (n = 11) working at primary health care clinics, public and private hospitals participated voluntarily. Data was collected by means of the “World Cafe” method, incorporating a combination of techniques such as interviewing, discussions, drawings, narratives and reflection. The focus was on professional nurses' knowledge of the meaning of clinical judgement and factors influencing the development of clinical judgement in the clinical environment. Qualitative thematic content analysis principles were applied during data analysis. The findings were integrated with the relevant literature to culminate in conclusions that should add to the knowledge base of clinical judgement as an essential skill for improving autonomous and accountable nursing care.

scholarly journals The spiritual experience of dementia from the health care provider perspective: Implications for intervention

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A Palmer ◽  
Michelle Hilgeman ◽  
Tracy Balboni ◽  
Sara Paasche-Orlow ◽  
Jennifer L Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Spiritual Care ◽  
Spiritual Experience ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Spiritual Needs ◽  
Medical Conditions ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Spiritual Assessment ◽  
Spiritual Distress ◽  
Loss Of Self

Abstract Background and Objectives Spiritual care aims to counter negative outcomes from spiritual distress and is beneficial to persons living with dementia. Such care needs dementia-appropriate customization. We explored the salient spiritual needs in dementia to inform future intervention development. Health care providers are well-situated to observe the nature of spiritual needs across and within medical conditions. Research Design and Methods We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with providers. We sampled purposively by discipline (chaplains, nursing staff, social workers, activities professionals) and religious tradition (for chaplains). Our interview guide inquired about, e.g., the nature of spiritual needs in dementia and stakeholders’ roles in addressing them. Inductive / deductive thematic analysis was employed. Results Twenty-four providers participated. The thematic structure consisted of two themes: 1) spiritual experience in dementia differs from that in other medical conditions (sub-themes: fear, profound loss of self, progressive and incurable nature, and impacted ability to access faith); and 2) the need for spiritual intervention at the mild stage of dementia (sub-themes: awareness in mild dementia and its influence on spiritual distress, and a window of opportunity). Discussion and Implications We learned about the potential “what” of spiritual needs and “who” and “when” of implementing spiritual care. Implications included the imperative for dementia-specific spiritual assessment tools, interventions targeting fear and loss of self early in symptom progression, and stakeholder training. Researchers should study additionally the “how” of dementia-appropriate spiritual care. Conjointly, these efforts could promote spiritual well-being in persons living with dementia worldwide.

Spirituality and Mind–Body Medicine in Geriatrics

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina M. Puchalski ◽  
Patricia A. Bloom
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Spiritual Care ◽  
Geriatric Care ◽  
Inner Life ◽  
Spiritual Distress ◽  
Mind And Body ◽  
Health And Illness ◽  
Mind Body Medicine ◽  
The Mind

As people age, the mind and spirit become increasingly important factors in the multidimensional nature of health and illness. Spirituality in health care focuses on the inner life of people and how they find meaning, purpose, and connectedness to the significant or sacred. Mind–body medicine seeks to understand the interconnectedness of the mind and body and to use interventions that promote wellness based on that interconnection. This chapter gives an overview of spiritual care in geriatric care, including the assessment of spiritual distress in aging and dying, with appropriate interventions. Mindfulness-based interventions that are particularly relevant for older adults are also discussed.

Gender in Psycho-Oncology

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Role Expectations ◽  
Illness Trajectory ◽  
Health Care Practitioners ◽  
Sociocultural Characteristics ◽  
Practical Information ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Oriented Approach

As cancer treatment has evolved toward precision medicine, psychosocial research and practices for cancer patients and their family members have also raised awareness of the need for a personalized, patient-focused, family-oriented approach in the psycho-oncology field. Gender in Psycho-Oncology is the first book of its kind to provide comprehensive views on the role of gender in the adjustment of the individual and the patient–caregiver pair when dealing with cancer. The text explores the significant role of gender in diverse pairings of genders between the patient and the caregiver. It also highlights the importance of age, generation, and sociocultural characteristics, as well as the illness trajectory and lifespan trajectory of the individual and the patient–caregiver pair, and an ongoing sociocultural movement that is changing social role expectations based on gender. Offering both fundamental and practical information, Gender in Psycho-Oncology is an ideal book for health care practitioners from a spectrum of disciplines in the psycho-oncology field.

Israeli Nurse Managers’ Organizational Values in Today’s Health Care Environment

2002 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 651-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tova Hendel ◽  
Michal Steinman
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Nurse Managers ◽  
Organizational Values ◽  
Health Care Environment ◽  
Care Environment ◽  
Nursing Managers ◽  
Management Roles ◽  
Value Sets ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Humanistic Tradition

The total value set of a working individual consists of three components: personal, professional and organizational values. In the light of the changing health care environment, the individual nurse manager’s values may no longer be applicable for coping with the needs of the work environment. For many nurses who developed their values in keeping with the humanistic tradition, the ‘new’ organizational values may create confusion, frustration and conflict. The purpose of this study was to determine if the organizational domain in the value sets of Israeli middle nursing managers in acute care hospitals reflect the process of shifting values needed in today’s management roles. Analysis of the results revealed that head nurses did not yet fully internalize the ‘new’ organizational values. Implications of the results for planning undergraduate and graduate programmes are detailed.

Improving Communication Skills in Health Care

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 109-117
Author(s):  
Lynda Katz Wilner ◽  
Marjorie Feinstein-Whittaker
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
International Medical Graduate ◽  
Medical Graduate ◽  
Health Care Environment ◽  
Medical Interpreters ◽  
Accent Modification

Hospital reimbursements are linked to patient satisfaction surveys, which are directly related to interpersonal communication between provider and patient. In today’s health care environment, interactions are challenged by diversity — Limited English proficient (LEP) patients, medical interpreters, International Medical Graduate (IMG) physicians, nurses, and support staff. Accent modification training for health care professionals can improve patient satisfaction and reduce adverse events. Surveys were conducted with medical interpreters and trainers of medical interpreting programs to determine the existence and support for communication skills training, particularly accent modification, for interpreters and non-native English speaking medical professionals. Results of preliminary surveys suggest the need for these comprehensive services. 60.8% believed a heavy accent, poor diction, or a different dialect contributed to medical errors or miscommunication by a moderate to significant degree. Communication programs should also include cultural competency training to optimize patient care outcomes. Examples of strategies for training are included.

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