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Running head: HOLISTIC NURSING AND GLOBAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS

Holistic Nursing and Global Health Care Needs

Brooke Reamer
Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing
I pledge

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HOLISTIC NURSING AND GLOBAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS

Holistic Nursing and Global Health Care Needs

Nurses must use the holistic model of care in order to provide excellence. The holistic
care model can be used in addressing global health care needs. First, the terms should be defined.
Then, concepts such as global health, decent care, Florence Nightingale, and the United Nations
Millennium Development Goals can be discussed. The integration of nurses using holistic care to
address global health care needs is also vital. Lastly, there are steps nurses can take to improve
global health in a holistic manner.
Dossey and Keegan (2016) defines global health as the area of practice, research, and
study that places a priority on improving health and achieving health equity worldwide, reducing
health disparities, and providing protection from global health threats that disregard borders.
Holistic nursing is all nursing practice that has healing the whole person as its goal and honors
relationship-centered care and the interconnectedness of self, others, nature, and spirituality;
focuses on protecting, promoting, and optimizing health and wellness; incorporates integrative
modalities/complementary and alternative modalities as appropriate. (Dossey and Keegan,
2016). According to the American Holistic Nurses Association (2015), holistic nursing is defined
as all nursing practice that has healing the whole person as its goal. Holistic nursing
incorporates self-care, self-responsibility, spirituality, and reflection. It can be an attitude,
philosophy, or way of being. It takes into account a persons mind, body, and spirit. Spirituality is
a major concept of healing, and is demonstrated in the holistic care model. There are many
different cultures in the world, with different religions and ways of being spiritual. With the
holistic care model, nurses can be respectful of all beliefs and assure that patients have the
spiritual care they need. Balance is also incorporated into the holistic care model, as the mind,
body, and spirit must be balanced for the patient to heal holistically.

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HOLISTIC NURSING AND GLOBAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS

With that said, there is great need for nurses in improving global health (Dossey and
Keegan, 2016). Goals of global health are to achieve health equity, reduce health disparities, and
provide protection against global threats. Nurses play a part in integrating education and disease
prevention to patients everywhere. There are approximately 35 million global health nurses.
Nurses use evidence-based practice, along with the holistic care model, to mobilize better
healthcare all over the world. Decent care, a comprehensive care continuum approach that is
holistic, is also an important concept. Here, nurses can reach out to communities to provide more
adequate care.
One key concept of nursing and global health needs is the United Nations Millennium
Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals (Dossey and Keegan, 2016). In 2000,
world leaders attended a United Nations Millennium Summit, where they established these goals
to be achieved by 2015. The three goals most related to nursing were reducing child mortality,
improving maternal health, and combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.
The philosophical foundation of holistic nursing care in global health is from Florence
Nightingale (Dossey and Keegan, 2016). Nightingale, the first recognized nurse theorist,
emphasized humans basic needs and their environments. She claimed to have a personal
connection with the Divine, which helped her in her work. This is another great example of how
spirituality can be incorporated into nursing care. Nightingale influenced a lot of aspects of
nursing, but she had a great impact on global nursing. Her work in social action, specifically
sacred activism, demonstrated the importance of spiritual knowledge in terms of making changes
all over the world. She applied concepts of healing by providing patients with environments in
which they felt comfortable. Healing environments, as well as holistic nursing, were two key
concepts of Nightingales work.

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HOLISTIC NURSING AND GLOBAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS

Sheila Davis (2012) discussed the importance of nurses in global health. She states that
physicians are scarce in poor countries and communities. Therefore, nurses are at the forefront of
healthcare, often serving as sole providers. Nurses deliver ninety percent of all healthcare
services in the world. A nursing shortage can cause global health crisis. Although nurses provide
all this healthcare, there is a lack of nurses in leadership positions. For example, only one percent
of professional staff in the World Health Organization are nurses. Grassroots initiatives are one
way nurses can assist in global health needs. For example, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute has
created a nursing oncology partnership with Inshuti Mu Buzima in Rwanda to work with local
nurses and physicians to give Rwandan nurses the opportunity to gain skills practiced in the
United States. Regis College has partnered with the Haitian Ministry of Health and Partners in
Health to help educate nurses in Haiti. They have developed a masters program to educate
Haitian nurses to help them become leaders of education to future generations. Patient care will
improve, and there will be more educated nurses.
Based on these concepts, nurses can take steps to incorporate holistic nursing care in
global health needs. As discussed by Davis (2012), global health or grassroots initiatives can
encourage better nursing care throughout the world. Nurses from the United States can help
educate nurses in less developed countries and incorporate holistic care into their nursing
practice. Nurses can take care of patients spiritually by integrating culturally competent care,
while taking care of patients physical needs, too. The balance between mind, body, and spirit
can be maintained with the help of holistic nursing care. Another way nurses can play a role in
global health is by taking leadership positions. As mentioned before, the World Health
Organization is lacking nurses.

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HOLISTIC NURSING AND GLOBAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS

In summary, the incorporation of holistic nursing care in addressing global health care
needs is crucial. Nursing are taking steps to improve worldwide healthcare by integrating
concepts of healing, the holistic care model, global health, decent care, Florence Nightingales
work, and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals into practice. Nurses must utilize
the holistic care model to address global health care needs.

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HOLISTIC NURSING AND GLOBAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS

References
Davis, S. (2012). Why nurses are the unsung heroes of global health. Huff Post Impact.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sheila-davis-dnp-anpbc-faan/international-nursesweek_b_1499802.html
Dossey, B.M. & Keegan, L. (2016). Holistic nursing: A handbook for practice. Burlington, MA:
Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Thornton, L. (2015). What is holistic nursing?. American Holistic Nurses Association.
http://www.ahna.org/About-Us/What-is-Holistic-Nursing