Faith Community Nursing and COVID-19: Creative and Inspired Practice.

ABSTRACT: A mixed-method, cross-sectional descriptive online survey was used to examine the impact of COVID-19 on faith community nurse (FCN) practice. The seven practice areas for FCNs provided a framework for a 20-question survey comparing their practice pre- and during COVID-19 was completed by 378 FCNs. The top five interventions during COVID were in the areas of spiritual support, health promotion, and advocating for services; a top need was peer support/networking. Creative strategies used to meet the faith community's needs were inspiring. Implications for practice adaptation are discussed.

The State of Research on Faith Community Nursing in Public Health Interventions: Results from a Systematic Review.

Though faith community nurses (FCNs) serve many roles in churches and communities, little is known about their roles or effectiveness in public health interventions. This systematic review summarizes the literature on recent faith community nursing interventions, examining trends, evaluating rigor, and proposing future research directions. Articles were downloaded from PubMed and CINAHL, and 24 studies were included. Interventions addressed various health outcomes. The FCNs participated in research by recruiting participants, developing study measures, and implementing programs. Results reported mainly process evaluation and provided few outcomes. Better evaluation is needed to understand the effectiveness of FCNs in public health research.

Rural Cancer Screening and Faith Community Nursing in the Era of the Affordable Care Act.

Rural populations often face higher cancer rates and have lower cancer screening rates than urban populations. Screening disparities may be mediated by limited access to care, less knowledge of screening, and psychosocial factors. While the improved insurance rates and more comprehensive coverage under the Affordable Care Act may address some of these barriers, rural-urban disparities in cancer screening may not be fully attenuated. Faith-based interventions have been an effective approach to improving cancer screening among rural and underserved populations. Similarly, faith community nurses (FCNs) may be an effective agents for implementing evidence-based cancer screening strategies in rural communities. We provide a model for how FCNs standards of professional performance and practice can enable them to implement screening strategies. We also posit two recommendations of services that FCNs can provide to improve cancer screening in rural areas: educational messaging and patient navigation.

Fostering early breast cancer detection.

This article examines how faith community nurses (FCNs) fostered early breast cancer detection for those at risk in rural and African American populations throughout nine counties in midwestern Illinois to decrease breast cancer disparities. Flexible methods for breast cancer awareness education through FCNs, effective strategies for maximizing participation, and implications for practice were identified. In addition, networking within faith communities, connecting with complementary activities scheduled in those communities, and offering refreshments and gift items that support educational efforts were identified as effective ways of maximizing outcomes and reinforcing learning. Flexible educational programming that could be adapted to situational and learning needs was important to alleviate barriers in the project. As a result, the number of participants in the breast cancer awareness education program exceeded the grant goal, and the large number of African American participants and an unexpected number of Hispanic and Latino participants exceeded the target.