Introduction
This topic relates to Chapter 1: ‘Wellness and Fitness for Life.’ It is a health care system consisting of a multi-faceted approach that focuses on the complete person and their individualized needs and provides services that consider all bodily, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. This model allows the nurse to examine several factors contributing to an individual’s health and well-being (Schoon & Krumwiede, 2022). This model provides educators basis for building holistic health theories, policies, and programs. The articles provide an excellent example of how nurses can apply holistic health principles in their everyday work lives by providing practical guidance on how they can be incorporated into practice.
Summary of the Article
The holistic health model is a way to view health that considers physical, mental, and social determinants of health. This model is important for public health nursing as it allows nurses to be more proactive in addressing issues such as poverty or mental illness (Schoon & Krumwiede, 2022). The first factor within this model is social determinants of health, including income inequality, access to quality education, and housing (Southard, 2020). Secondly, environmental factors such as pollution in the air breathed may cause harm even if people do not realize it at first glance. Lastly, individual factors include our mindset and behavior patterns, which affect our overall health over time, resulting in sickness or death if left untreated.
Nurses play a vital role in helping people overcome these barriers by providing them with information on how they can improve their lifestyle choices. Nurses must understand their patient’s overall health status to look beyond the disease state or injury to determine what factors contribute to the patient being sick or injured. (Schoon & Krumwiede, 2022). For nurses to be able to provide holistic health counseling for their patients, they need to understand what aspects of their lifestyle can affect their health positively or negatively. To do this effectively, Nurses need to know which holistic health determinants are most important for each patient and whether these factors will influence the outcome of treatment decisions made at home or in hospital settings.
My Opinion and Personal Feedback about the Articles
In my opinion, the articles explain how the holistic health model can be used in public health nursing education and practice. This model means that nurses will have more tools to help people with various diseases or injuries. The articles can help one understand how the holistic health model works better than just reading about it online. The articles show that a holistic perspective is a philosophical point of view or orientation that believes or considers the whole situation more important than just basic principles. Nurses who practice holistically go beyond the basics of their science when it comes to their practice by considering the life circumstances in which people are living before using their skills. The model deals with the causes of illness, not just the symptoms.
Conclusion
Public health nursing ensures people are healthy and live longer lives. As evidenced by this study, holistic health should be considered a vital part of education and practice. Holistic health is a growing area within public health, providing an effective avenue for nurses to advance their education and practice. It is clear that holistic health holds a powerful appeal for many people, but it does require some changes in mindset. Nurses on the front lines of care could incorporate holistic practices into their nursing routines.
References
Schoon, P. M., & Krumwiede, K. (2022). A holistic health determinants model for public health nursing education and practice. Public Health Nursing.
Southard, M. E. (2020). Spirituality: The missing link for holistic health care. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 38(1), 4-7.