Health doesn’t occur in a vacuum, and many factors influence how someone thinks, feels and responds to care. Because of this, holistic nursing practices focus on treating the whole patient — body, mind and spirit. It involves consideration of a patient’s physical, nutritional, environmental, emotional, spiritual and lifestyle factors.
What Is Holistic Healthcare Versus Holistic Nursing?
Holistic healthcare is an approach to health and wellness that considers the individual as a whole. According to the American Holistic Health Association, holistic care seeks to determine the root cause of a disease or condition. Rather than solely treating isolated symptoms or specific ailments, it uncovers how various aspects of an individual’s life — whether physical, mental, emotional, social or spiritual — are interconnected and affect their health.
Holistic nursing is a nursing specialty based on holistic healthcare principles. The patient-centered approach is grounded in empathy, compassion and respect and considers each patient’s unique values, beliefs and cultural background. Nurses gather this information by performing a holistic health assessment that helps inform diagnosis, interventions and evaluation of treatment effectiveness.
In addition to conventional medical treatments, holistic nursing often utilizes a range of complementary and alternative healing modalities to address patients’ needs and promote overall wellness, such as massage, aromatherapy and mindfulness techniques. Holistic nurses regularly collaborate with the healthcare team and empower patients to actively participate in their health management. This dynamic fosters a partnership between the nurse and the patient to achieve the best possible health outcomes.
How to Perform a Comprehensive Holistic Health Assessment
Approaching patient health holistically requires conducting a comprehensive, holistic health assessment. While a holistic health assessment template differs from a traditional one, nurses with clinical experience already have some foundational skills to transition to this more expansive format.
Students in Lamar University’s online Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program further their assessment-taking and interviewing skills through courses like Comprehensive Holistic Health Assessment and Nursing Practice: Care of Communities.
Performing a comprehensive, holistic health assessment involves several key steps:
- Establish trust: Perhaps most importantly, nurses must establish a trusting and open rapport with the patient and create an environment where they feel comfortable sharing their concerns.
- Collect medical history: Next, nurses gather a detailed medical history for the patient, including their physical symptoms and conditions, lifestyle choices, stress levels, dietary habits, exercise routines and social support systems.
- Review physical, mental and emotional health: Then, nurses conduct a thorough physical examination and record the patient’s vital signs, body system function and any areas of distress or imbalance. A mental and emotional assessment also takes place and delves into the patient’s mental health status, stressors, coping mechanisms and general emotional well-being.
- Consider culture: Also, the nurse respectfully explores the patient’s spiritual beliefs and practices. Applying culturally competent care will ensure patients feel safe and supported in their healthcare choices.
What Are the Benefits of Holistic Health Assessments?
Integrating all these aspects forms a comprehensive picture and guides healthcare professionals in creating tailored and holistic care plans to optimize patient health and wellness. The benefits of holistic health assessments are many and include:
- Better patient understanding of the circumstances and beliefs that may be impacting their health
- Enhanced communication and connection between the healthcare team and patients and their families
- Identification of potential health risks through early detection of signs and symptoms
- Greater informed consent and patient empowerment through collaborative decision-making
- Improved patient outcomes as patients begin to understand and alter the many factors influencing their health
The primary goal of holistic healthcare is to promote optimal health by considering and addressing all facets of an individual’s health. Success with this approach requires knowledgeable nurses skilled in conducting holistic health assessments. In doing so, holistic nurses can encourage active patient participation in their health decisions and foster a sense of empowerment and self-responsibility that can improve outcomes.
Learn more about Lamar University’s online RN to BSN program.
