Holistic Health Assessment Case Study

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It is important for nurses to perform a nursing assessment of their patients using a holistic approach as they can get a better understanding of the person as a whole. Taking the time to listen to the person assists in forming a therapeutic relationship. It is necessary to assess not only the patient’s physical health but also their social, psychological, cultural, spiritual and developmental wellbeing in order to undertake a holistic health assessment.

Assessment is a precise and endless gathering, organising, confirming and documenting information (Luxford 2015). It is the first phase of the nursing process and if insufficient data is collected, the other phases will fail (Luxford 2015). However, Luxford (2015) believes it is also used throughout …show more content…

When a nurse understands how the patient is feeling, they are able to reassure them and seek additional help if necessary. Nurses can show psychological support to their patients by staying with them in times of need, giving the person full attention and showing empathy (Dempsey, Hillege & Hill 2014). When patients have a fear of dying, they are likely to be scared of the unknown, worried about separation from loved ones, pain, loss of dignity and unfinished business (Dempsey, Hillege & Hill 2014). The nurse must reassure and comfort the person at this time. The mind and body interact together and psychological factors can have a positive or negative impact on the well-being of a person (Stanley 2015). A person’s physical health will be affected by their emotions towards an illness. An example of an emotional reaction is when a person is diagnosed with an incurable disease, they may have feelings of anxiety and despair (Stanley 2015). For instance, if a child is diagnosed with cancer, not just the child but the entire family may need psychological support to adjust to the changes that the illness will cause (Svavarsdottir, Sigurdardottir & Tryggvadottir 2014). Therefore, a thorough psychological assessment is …show more content…

Dempsey, Hillege and Hill (2014) believe an individual’s lifestyle and culture have a strong influence on health practices and beliefs and the culture to which they belong effects the person’s opinions about health and illness. There may be typical behaviours related to health and illness that are specific to a particular culture such as diet, views on disease causes, predicted treatment plans, caregiving, and hygiene practices (Lewis & Foley 2014). For example, a patient’s cultural belief may be that illnesses are a punishment from God, and therefore they may not seek assistance from health care providers until a later stage of the disease or not at all (Lewis & Foley 2014). Nurses must be culturally sensitive when assessing a patient and must ask culturally appropriate questions. ‘Standard 2.2 states the registered nurse communicates effectively, and is respectful of a person’s dignity, culture, values, beliefs and rights (NMBA 2016, p.

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