Introduction
During its centuries-old history, the healthcare system has undergone many shifts, among which there have been both successes and failures. They equally affected the culture of nursing, which, as a result, has developed many methodologies for efficacious care for patients. The purpose of this paper is to consider in general terms the asset-based approach of nursing and its place of adaptation and discuss its positive points and possible disadvantages.
Asset-Based Approach in Terms of Palliative Care
Asset-based principle of nursing covers and applies to all spheres of healthcare. According to de Andrade and Angelova (2018), it is “…equal and active involvement of partners including communities, health practitioners and voluntary sector…” (p. 2). It is also important to note that “…end of life care services are ideally placed to adapt and extend an asset-based approach” (“Developing an asset-based approach within a learning community,” 2017, para. 4).
Mandatory prescribed care for terminally ill people is not the only thing that is implied by the asset-based approach. Practice in this purview also includes voluntary emotional support and informing families of patients. For their part, communities that consist of certain families provide information to their members to prevent the occurrence of fatal diseases and implement general health prophylaxis. One of the distinguishing points of the asset-based approach is the method of bilateral interaction and mutual assistance.
Virtues and Shortcomings of Asset-Based Approach
Communication among nurses and patients made through asset-based approach shape awareness in society about the needs of terminally ill people. Researchers note that the interplay of at least two humans with any assets necessarily includes communication between them (“Developing an asset-based approach within a learning community,” 2017). Yet finding common ground with such patients is time-consuming, leading to excessive physical debilitation.
Nurses can improve personal performance in palliative care by perceiving their talents and experience through an assets-based approach. Such a working strategy may drive to professional deformation in the form of emotional exhaustion when specialists can no longer empathize and productively use personal and social assets. Management can make effective care and human resources distribution by assuming nursing staff as community assets.
Another weakness of this approach is the inability to overcome cultural barriers. Elderly representatives of another culture may isolate themselves from palliative care, and assessing common capabilities becomes impossible. However, the innovative nature of the asset-based approach indicates that these shortcomings will be resolved in the future.
References
De Andrade, M., & Angelova, N. (2018). Evaluating and evidencing asset-based approaches and co-production in health inequalities: Measuring the unmeasurable? Critical Public Health, 1-13.
Developing an asset based approach within a learning community – Using end of life care as an example. (2017). Web.