Integrated, Enhanced Care
Current medical theory has mad a huge impact on nursing and spirituality. You may not have heard of the Medical Home Theory, but you may have overheard nurses talking amongst themselves about "evidence based care", "patient centered outcomes" "researched based medicine". These are all aspects of the Medical Home Theory which permeates our current health system.
This theory is made up of seven different aspects, but two of these have impacted spiritual care significantly. The first is, Integrated Care. Integrated care means that all medical disciplines act as a "team" to provide patients with seamless care. This means that nurses, as well as the rest of the team are amongst other things, responsible for the patient's spiritual care.As compassionate, caring professionals, nurses are attracted to alternative therapies and "integrate their practice, although they may not understand the occult connection behind them.
The second aspect of the Medical Home Theory that has revolutionized nursing is: "Enhanced Access". In the area of spiritual care, this has come to mean that patient's must have access to every form of spirituality. Its underpinning belief is that "all pathways lead to God". Since nurses have the greatest access to patients, they have the primary responsibility to provide spiritual care. That does not mean they have to pray or conduct rituals, nevertheless, they must insure that these needs are met. As a result, nurses have had to become more "open" to various forms of "spirituality". Unfortunately, this has often meant leave traditional Christianity in the dust and embracing New Age spirituality instead.
Posts
