Holistic nursing practice

Aim To investigate the understanding of holistic nursing practiceamong nurse practitioners and nurse technicians workingin health care institutions (hospitals and health centers) or inresidential care settings (nursing homes, etc.)Methods A quantitative research design was employed. Of the178 questionnaires distributed electronically to participatingnurses and nurse technicians in the form of an on-line survey,77 questionnaires were correctly filled out and returned, makingthe response rate 43.25%. The chi-square test for comparingdifferent groups of institutions and the t-test for comparingindependent samples (level of education, institution) were used.Results All respondents agreed that the most important rolesof a holistic nurse practitioner include “listening to patients”,“ensuring patients’ privacy” and “reducing patient anxiety”. Nostatistically significant differences were established accordingto the level of the respondents’ education. The most necessarychange required for the implementation of patient-centeredcare was “defining the scope of patient-centered care” and theleast necessary change was “changing the environment for patientcare provision”. For required changes, a significant difference(p=0.021) was revealed according to the type of institution.Respondents with a university degree or higher expressed significantagreement (p=0.012) with the criterion “empoweringpatients in the health care context” as being one of the criteriadefining patient-centered care.Conclusion The concepts of holistic nursing and patientcenteredcare, together with all their dimensions, should beclearly defined. In doing so, the social environment and thecompetencies of nurse practitioners must be taken into account.Finally, both concepts should be introduced into nursingeducation programs.