Introduction
The nurses have the responsibility to provide the appropriate care necessary to improve the patient’s physical, psychological and emotional conditions. The 33-year-old patient has been regularly visiting Sabatia Health Center. Although he had been diagnosed with malaria at first, the patient had shown other conditions such as high blood pressure, pneumonia and kidney failures, which is the reason for his last visit. The kidney problems have resulted into diabetes and the patient has shown less production of insulin. He has responded poorly to the insulin injection. Consequently, the patient passes urine most of the time and often becomes thirsty and hungry. He has also gained about 7 pounds of weight and has as joined the Association of Diabetes Group. He is a Christian who believes in prayers and miracles. To improve the patient’s physical, mental and spiritual conditions, the nurses should use a holistic approach to treating the patient.
One Pattern, Challenge, and Need
In terms pattern, the patient has been visiting the hospital regularly because of consistent kidney problems and other health conditions. The situation has caused the low production of insulin leading to diabetes, which is now the dominant health problem. Physically, the condition has gained substantial weight leading to emotional and mental distress (Farooqi, 2015). Being a Christian, she believes in prayers and miracles as part of the healing process.
Because of diabetes, the patient has faced physical challenges such as frequent urination, thirst, and hunger. Having Diabetes lead to emotional and psychological challenges, especially because of its impact on an individual’s daily life. The disease threatens the patient’s life and this causes stress, which might lead to mental disability. Overweight is a social problem linked to stigma and it can cause emotional distress leading to mental problems. A person’s cultural or religious believe has a significant effect on their healing processes (Faus, Turchi, Polansky, Berez, & Leibowitz, 2014). Being a Christian who believes in the God’s power to heal any disease made him neglect other things such as good diet and frequent exercise because of spiritual beliefs.
The patient needs a holistic care approach to come out of the diabetic condition. To control the physical effects of the disease such as frequent urination, thirst and hunger, the nurses and other care providers should use appropriate medication based on diagnosed problems. Coming to terms with the diabetic condition is a serious problem that needs appropriate emotional and mental interventions. A patient should be helped to understand that he is not the only person with the problem (Curtis, Arai, Stephenson, & Roberts, 2015). His decision to join the Diabetes Association Group implies that he has accepted the condition and decided to look for help. Since he is a Christian, the patient needs constant prayers as a way of improving his spiritual life (Hughes et al., 2013).
Comparing and Contrasting Nursing and Holistic Processes
Both nursing and holistic care are aimed at improving the lives of patients. While the traditional nursing practices focus on the diagnosed health problems, the holistic care process focuses on all the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual aspects of the patient (Metzger & Parker, 2015). Apart from medical services provided under nursing care, holistic approaches are designed to provide wellness, unity and interrelations of humans and their contexts. The treatment in the normal nursing procedure is done to control health conditions identified during diagnosis. However, a patient might have some problems associated with their emotions, mind or spiritual beliefs (Youssouf, Harris, & O’donoghue, 2015). A holistic nurse treats the disease and considers all other factors that can contribute to the fast healing process. While nursing is a medical care approach, holistic care is based on medical and therapeutic approaches aimed at integrating the interdependent parts of human being (Hughes et al., 2013).
References
Curtis, K., Arai, L., Stephenson, T., & Roberts, H. (2015). What makes for a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ paediatric diabetes service from the viewpoint of children, young people, carers and clinicians? A synthesis of qualitative findings. Archives of Disease in Childhood Arch Dis Child, 100(9), 826-833.
Farooqi, A. (2015). Management of diabetes in the community. Medicine, 43(1), 54-56.
Faus, L., Turchi, M., Polansky, M., Berez, A., & Leibowitz, L. (2014). Health-related quality of life in overweight/obese children compared with children with inflammatory bowel disease. Clinical Pediatrics, 54(8), 775-782.
Hughes, P., Ahmed, N., Winslow, M., Walters, S. J., Collins, K., & Noble, B. (2013). Consumer views on a new holistic screening tool for supportive and palliative-care needs: Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral for Care (SPARC): A survey of self-help support groups in health care. Health Expectations Health Expect, 18(4), 562-577.
Metzger, J., & Parker, L. (2015). Utilizing community health advisors in diabetes care management. Handbook of Diabetes Management, 43(4), 247-256.
Youssouf, S., Harris, T., & O’donoghue, D. (2015). More than a kidney disease: A patient-centred approach to improving care in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 30(5), 693-695.