ABSTRACT
Acute care nursing is currently undergoing unprecedented change, with health systems becoming more open to nonpharmacological approaches to patient care. Healing Touch (HT) may be a valuable intervention for acute care patients. Research has shown that HT helps both the patient and the caregiver; however, no study to date has examined the impact that the education of nurses in and their use of HT have on daily care delivery in the acute care setting. The purpose of the current qualitative study was to examine the use of HT by registered nurses in the acute care setting during their delivery of patient care, as well as the impact of education in and use of HT on the nurses themselves. Five themes were identified: (1) use of HT techniques, processes, and sequence; (2) outcomes related to HT; (3) integration of HT into acute care nursing practice; (4) perceptions of HT, from skepticism to openness; and (5) transformation through HT. Education in HT and delivery of this modality by nurses in the acute care setting provide nurses with a transformative tool to improve patient outcomes.
Subject(s)
Nurses/psychology , Nurses/standards , Nursing Care/methods , Therapeutic Touch/standards , Adult , Female , Focus Groups , Humans , Inpatients/psychology , Middle Aged , Qualitative Research , Surveys and Questionnaires , Therapeutic Touch/nursingABSTRACT
Given the current transformation of traditional health care to provide more integrative and complementary modalities, health systems are implementing new programs and services to meet consumer and provider needs. One such integrative modality, Healing Touch, with a foundation in holistic nursing, is a gentle therapy that uses touch to promote health and well-being by balancing the human energy system. This article describes the perceptions of registered nurses regarding the implementation of a Healing Touch training program at a multihospital health system. Five themes were identified: benefit to the patient, benefit to the nurse, holism beyond task orientation, integrating Healing Touch into acute care, and barriers and challenges. Nurses recognize the importance of creating caring-healing relationships and a holistic approach to care. Training in Healing Touch provides one avenue for nurses and health care providers to provide compassionate care.
Subject(s)
Hospitals/trends , Nurses/psychology , Perception , Therapeutic Touch/nursing , Adult , Female , Focus Groups , Holistic Nursing/education , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Therapeutic Touch/psychologyABSTRACT
New legislative mandates, evaluation metrics, and patient demand have led acute care organizations to expand their patient-centered care model to include the use of complementary therapies. One multihospital health system is offering Healing Touch training to nurses who will provide Healing Touch to self, colleagues, and patients, promoting a caring-healing consciousness.
Subject(s)
Education, Nursing, Continuing/methods , Empathy , Holistic Nursing/education , Hospitals , Therapeutic Touch , Holistic Nursing/methods , Humans , Patient-Centered Care/methodsABSTRACT
Our hospital system used Lean strategies to develop a new process for the change-of-shift bedside handoff titled ISHAPED (I = Introduce, S = Story, H = History, A = Assessment, P = Plan, E = Error Prevention, and D = Dialogue). Several teams collaborated with a Parent Advisory Council and a Patient/Family Advisory Council to design a study to explore patient perceptions of the handoff. The findings from the study along with recommendations from the councils were used to develop education modules on implementing patient-centered handoffs.
Subject(s)
Family , Nursing Staff, Hospital/organization & administration , Parents , Patient Handoff/organization & administration , Patient Participation , Patient-Centered Care/organization & administration , Advisory Committees/organization & administration , Humans , Patient-Centered Care/methodsABSTRACT
Nurse educators assisted the director of professional nursing practice in a large healthcare system to implement a human caring program across 108 nursing units. These educators used transformational learning principles to reunite bedside nurses with the art of caring. Implementation included core content in a 30-minute training session, large-scale leadership conferences, and consistent educator support. Affective growth occurred for both clinicians and educators. The authors provide practical ideas, content, and tools to teach human caring.
