Healing Environment and Spirituality

Patients’ spirituality is a topic of utter importance nowadays when researchers started investigating the positive outcomes associated with the comprehensive treatment approaches. Analysts and medical professionals have proposed different components of a healing environment that can be related to spirituality. According to Eberst (2008), there are three major components of a healing medical organization. The first element is a physical healing environment that implies that families’ engagement is essential for medical employees. It relates to the spiritual needs of patients by providing an aesthetically, pleasing and compassionate environment. The second component is the integration of work design and technology and the exploration of technology usage to heal patients and provide additional privacy for the patient’s dignity. The final variable is a culture of “radical loving care” that emphasizes a patient’s emotional and spiritual needs that contribute to the sacred protection of individuals (Eberst, 2008, p. 79).

Researchers and medical professionals already use the medicalization of different components of a healing environment. For instance, in a medical organization, a team was established to coordinate healing practices that addressed patient’s feelings, fears, and need for comfort during the transplantation of organs that was conducted successfully (Sakallaris et al., 2015). The patient’s worldview is also integrated into the establishment of a healing environment; therefore, it contributes to the healing and caring process to recreate a person’s well-being (Sakallaris et al., 2015).

Considering the challenges of creating a healing environment in light of the barriers and complexities of providing health care, several essential points should be mentioned. The financial aspect of creating a healing environment is among the challenges that might prevent its development (Hesselink et al., 2020). The healing environment requires professionals that should be trained, which is costly. The next challenge is the technology usage aspect because it involves investment and should be integrated into the physical environment of a hospital. Another challenge is the introduction of standardized rules that employees should adopt based on shared values and beliefs that might confront those of employees (Hesselink et al., 2020). There can arise more challenges along the way that should be handled.

Different aspects of the Christian worldview support the concept of a healing environment. For instance, it is noted that “healing from the Christian wholistic perspective is recovery and restoration of wholeness in the individual and his or her relation to God, their community, and the environment” (Pfeiffer, 2014, p. 44). In this sense, the Christian worldview proposes focusing on spirituality and the healing environment that includes the recreation of all parts of the soul. Researchers also report that Christian nurses “by virtue of education, experience, and caring presence” establishes a healing environment by putting the patient’s point of view first and add the nurse’s perspective second to support the recovery (Pfeiffer, 2018, p. 6).

The healing environment concepts inform the philosophy of health care and wellness by highlighting that the patient can support medical professionals in creating a healing environment. A holistic approach used to emphasize the spirituality of the patient along with the treatment of disease is an effective way to ensure that patient’s well-being is restored. Using the knowledge of the healing environment concept, the patient can establish the internal environment to make desired changes, recover faster, and ask the hospital manager to implement changes. Overall, it can be concluded that the environment that integrates technology and work design and a culture of loving care might contribute to comprehensive and effective patient treatment.

References

Eberst, L. (2008). Arizona Medical Center shows how to be a ‘Healing hospital’. Health Progress. Web.

Hesselink, G., Smits, M., Doedens, M., Nijenhuis, S., van Bavel, D., van Goor, H., & van de Belt, T. H. (2020). Environmental needs, barriers, and facilitators for optimal healing in the postoperative process: A qualitative study of patients’ lived experiences and perceptions. HERD, 13(3), 125–139. Web.

Pfeiffer, J. (2014). Creating a healing environment: Strategies Christian nurses use. Loma Linda University. Web.

Pfeiffer, J. (2018). Strategies Christian nurses use to create a healing environment. Religions, 9(11), 352. Web.

Sakallaris, B. R., MacAllister, L., Voss, M., Smith, K., & Jonas, W. B. (2015). Optimal healing environments. Global advances in health and medicine, 4(3), 40–45. Web.