T5 W3 D1 R2
Peer Responses:
Length: A minimum of 150 words per post, not including references
Citations: At least one high-level scholarly reference in APA from within the last 5 years
Citations need to be within 5 (Five) years
Context: Nursing in the USA
T5 W3 D1 R2 Technology and Health
Holistic nursing includes caring for the entire patient, not just a specific disease. Caring for the whole person includes caring for the person’s physical, spiritual, and emotional needs. When developing a holistic care plan, the nurse must keep in mind the importance of excellent communication between all parties involved can lead to better patient outcomes. The nurse must have the patient’s and family’s input when it comes to the patient’s plan of care. A patient will more likely be compliant if he or she is included in the decision making. With understanding the two types of communication (verbal and non-verbal), the nurse can better assess the patient.
The knowledge of the therapeutic relationship is an essential component of health promotion. A therapeutic relationship between a patient and a provider is vital to building trust between both parties. As stated in an article written by Komhaber, Walsh, Duff, and Walker, therapeutic relationships should be friendly, show empathy, and general interest in the patient. Therapeutic relationships with these components can facilitate health promotion. “Therapeutic interpersonal relationships between health care professionals and patients are associated with improvements in patient satisfaction, adherence to treatment, quality of life, levels of anxiety and depression, and decreased health care costs” (Kornhaber, Walsh, Duff, & Walker, 2016)
With all our technological advances over the past few years, the role of technology in communication has a great significance. With the internet and social media, we can communicate with around the world with just the push of a button. We can connect with old friends or even have a doctor’s visit from the comfort of our homes. With telemedicine and telehealth, patients in remote areas can communicate with their healthcare providers from their homes. Living in Georgia, where there are a lot of rural areas without access to healthcare, I do believe electronic/technology and communication is a great tool. As a professional, have a code of ethics when it comes to technology goes without saying. Using technology to make healthcare more effective, efficient through the use of social media and the internet can be beneficial, but patient’s privacy should always be respected and protected.
When speaking of health promotion, one must first define what health means to the individual. The evidence that supports the need for consideration of ethics in contemporary issues of health promotion is the appropriateness of these methods used to promote health. As stated in an article written in Public Health Ethics Journal “Health promotion will include a wide range of types of intervention, ranging from the provision of information through education, persuasion, the construction of new norms, the shaping of existing norms, the manipulation of preferences, or even coercion” (Dawson & Grill, 2012). I do agree that sometimes the means we go about achieving better patient outcomes may be in the gray area, but sometimes the ends justify the means. It is impossible to please everyone all the time.
Reference
Dawson, A., & Grill, K. (2012). Health Promotion: Conceptual and Ethical Issues. Public Health Ethics, 5(2), 101103. doi: 10.1093/phe/phs024
Kornhaber, R., Walsh, K., Duff, J., & Walker, K. (2016, October 14). Enhancing adult therapeutic interpersonal relationships in the acute health care setting: an integrative review. Retrieved January 22, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5072574/
