As you're near completion of this course, you may be wondering about your next steps. You may be thinking, what do I do if I'm ready to implement Integrative Nursing, but my healthcare organization, hospital, or clinic does not support it? Remember that integrative nursing is a way of being, doing, and knowing. It is who you are, how you show up to care for patients, as well as what you do for them. It is both a practice and a mindset. If you have an integrative nursing mindset, you will bring presence, empathy, and caring to your practice. You don't need a policy, procedure, standard, or guideline to implement many of the practices of Integrative Nursing. There are so many ways you can ease patients suffering and pain and help them heal that falls squarely within your scope of practice. Reflecting on how you can apply the integrative nursing principles and their behavioral indicators to patient care is a great starting point. Given what you've learned in the course, which principle do you think would be easiest for you to begin applying right away? Let's review some simple applications of the six principles now. Following principle one, focus on whole person care attending to body, mind, and spirit. You can do this by taking a history that goes beyond physical health to include emotional, social, and spiritual health. Get to know your patient's story, what matters to them. Pay attention to the environment around the patient, and remember that you are part of that environment. Having eye contact, deeply listening, and using gentle touch will convey caring and empathy. Help your patients tap into the innate capacity to heal--offer help and encouragement. Give them information and tools that will empower them. Remember that nature is healing. Art, guided imagery, nature videos, rooms that have a view to the outdoors-- all contribute to healing. A simple intervention is opening the window blinds and shades to let light in. Relationships contribute so much to healing, with the abundance of so many members of the healthcare team for patients, the experience may become one giant pillar. What makes it even more difficult is every caregiver asks the same questions to get personal information. Continuity of patient care is important. So if at all possible, try to get assigned to the same patients on a consistent basis. Become a champion for patient-centered relationship-based care. Inevitably, patients will encounter many caregivers. Help documents in the chart or electronic health record information that will personalize and call out what matters to the patient. Principle five focuses on the idea that whenever possible to improve symptom management, that we use the least intensive, or invasive approach. First, before resorting to a pharmaceutical or technological approach, focus on integrative approaches that require no formal approval or policies such as breath practices, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, or therapeutic music. Remember, that there may be some approaches that you have learned about in this course, such as aromatherapy, that you will be unable to use with patients if they are not approved within your organization. Make sure to review your organization's policies before implementing any intervention you are unsure of. Self-care is critical to the practice of Integrative Nursing. While we would all embrace having our institutions address systematic issues that cause stress and burnout and care for their employees in ways that support our wellbeing in resilience, remember that you are responsible for your own health and wellbeing. If you haven't done so already, go to the Taking Charge of Your Health and Wellbeing website to complete a wellbeing assessment, set a goal, and develop an action plan. The best way to move forward with integrative nursing is to focus on what you can do now while you become a champion for change within your institution. Our next video discusses ways that you can influence change in your workplace.
