Introduction
Health care workers should possess numerous competencies in order to provide their patients with high-quality care. However, the current landscape of health care is characterized by the changing power dynamic between medical professionals and patients that challenges their traditional roles within the system. Thus, the person-centered care approach, which allows patients to become active participants in their own treatment, is currently predominant in health care. This post is dedicated to person-centered care and the role and application of principles of holistic nursing, cultural humility, and self-reflection in nursing practice.
Person-Centered Care, Holistic Nursing, and Cultural Humility
A person-centered strategy in nursing concerns patients being actively involved in the health care process. Person-centered care can be defined as an approach that takes into consideration “a person’s context and individual expression, preferences, and beliefs” (Santana et al., 2018, p. 430). Furthermore, it involves other stakeholders in the patient’s health in the decision-making process, for example, their family, friends, and caregivers participating in the patient care (Byrne et al., 2020). Thus, the person-centered care approach urges nurses to partner with their patients to design a more comprehensive and individualized care plan that translates into the patients receiving high-quality medical care and experiencing better health outcomes. Overall, it can be argued that, at its core, person-centered care is the approach that shows respect and consideration to the patients. It means viewing clients as persons with their own views and desires towards their health that should be taken into account when delivering care.
In my future role as a nursing practitioner, I will try to apply the principles of holistic nursing, cultural humility, and self-reflection in order to enhance the experience of patients assigned to me. Person-centered care can be viewed as a holistic approach to nursing as it takes account of different dimensions relating to the whole well-being of a person (Santana et al., 2018). Thus, holistic practice is not restricted to the aspects of physical and psychological health and well-being of a patient but considers the impact of cultural and religious beliefs and social environment on them. In my practice, I aim to include details on patients’ beliefs, socio-economic backgrounds, and social environment into their medical history to improve their health care experience and promote their health and well-being.
Furthermore, to provide patients with holistic health care, it is crucial for nursing practitioners to have cultural humility and self-reflection skills. Cultural humility in nursing is an ability of a nurse to enter a relationship with a patient “with the intention of honoring their beliefs, customs, and values” (Stubbe, 2020, p. 49). Thus, cultural humility involves a nurse’s understanding that patients know more about the nuances of their beliefs and customs. Therefore, their opinion should be the leading one regarding spiritual and cultural practices relating to health care. In my future practice, I will ask patients about the aspects of their beliefs, customs, and traditions that I am unfamiliar with to avoid stereotyping. I will also ensure that other medical professionals on the team are aware of these nuances. In addition, cultural humility demands continuous self-evaluation and self-reflection from nursing practitioners (Masters et al., 2019). Self-reflection allows nurses to examine their professional practices relating to clinical actions and person-centered care, allowing them to grow and develop further. I will strive to reflect on my encounters with patients to deliver better care and grow as a professional.
Conclusion
In summary, person-centered care is an integral approach in contemporary health care. It ensures that patients are put in the center of the health care process, and medical professionals account for their culture, personal beliefs, and preferences. Such competencies as the holistic approach to nursing, cultural humility, and self-reflection allow nursing practitioners to ensure the opinions and desires of the patients are considered and to provide them with high-quality care.
References
Byrne, A., Baldwin, A., & Harvey, C. (2020). Whose centre is it anyway? Defining person-centred care in nursing: An integrative review.PLOS ONE, 15(3), 1–21. Web.
Masters, C., Robinson, D., Faulkner, S., Patterson, E., McIlraith, T., & Ansari, A. (2019). Addressing biases in patient care with the 5Rs of cultural humility, a clinician coaching tool.Journal of General Internal Medicine, 34(4), 627–630. Web.
Santana, M. J., Manalili, K., Jolley, R. J., Zelinsky, S., Quan, H., & Lu, M. (2018). How to practice person-centred care: A conceptual framework.Health Expectations, 21(2), 429–440. Web.
Stubbe, D. E. (2020). Practicing cultural competence and cultural humility in the care of diverse patients.Focus, 18(1), 49–51. Web.