The Holistic Approach to Nursing

To become a client or patient, one has to have a need for physical care due to illness, disease, or injury. In a perfect world, the client or patient is in recognition that they have an issue with their health, be it physical, mental, or even spiritual, and knows that they must do something to rectify the situation. The client does not always acknowledge or want to admit that they may have a health problem that needs to be improved, not only by relying on the doctor or nurse, but also by relying on themselves to get better. In many ways, health care is not just a physical thing; moreover, it is a holistic system - one that covers the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and familial aspects of a patient’s life.

The client or patient’s state of mind and self esteem especially play a large, defining role in the patient’s overall health. If the patient is stressed out, playing multiple social roles, and ignoring their basic needs for good health, then they are opening themselves up for a weaker immune system and a body that is less likely to defend itself because it is more focused on dealing with the stress in life than with fighting off foreign invaders. A patient with loads of stress is also less likely to know decent coping skills, because if they did know coping skills, they probably would not end up in the hospital and becoming a patient due to the spiral effect of stress on their lives. The same thing goes with low self-esteem and can be wrapped into the damaging category of stress.

My perspective on clients’ reactions to health care staff is that their reactions will vary depending on the situation that they are facing. For instance, if the client is facing a terminal illness, they may be more apt to be less social or talkative with the health care staff…or even combative. They may act the same way with their family members or they might act totally different. Each patient is a unique individual and will handle life and death in their own unique way, so as nurses we must be prepared for the worst reactions but also hope for the best out of our patients. Patients are people and people are similar but also unique in the end.