Implement holistic, patient-centered care that reflects an understanding of human growth and development, pathophysiology, pharmacology, medical and nursing management across the health/illness continuum, across the lifespan, and in all healthcare settings.
The provision of holistic, patient-centered care begins by looking at the client as a whole - by paying attention to their mind, body, and spirit. In other words, holistic care goes beyond simply understanding the client's disease process and administering medications. As a result, Adriel believes that nurses should also promote treatment methods that enrich a client's emotional and spiritual health. This belief inspired Adriel to attend Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.), so that he can learn more about their recovery model and other strategies for treating alcoholism.
Alcoholism is a disease that can affect people of all ways of life. Thus, A.A. is open to all clients regardless of their age, and it is meant for clients across the entire health/illness continuum and in all healthcare settings.
A.A. promotes a non-pharmacological treatment model for alcohol use disorder in it's 12-step program. This is in contrast to when clients with alcohol use disorder are prescribed medications, such as disulfiram, that promote abstinence from alcohol. Disulfiram is an example of a pharmacological method to manage the disease.
The basic premise of A.A.'s 12-step model is that people can help one another achieve and maintain abstinence from substances of abuse, but that healing cannot come about unless people with addictions surrender to a higher power. The model has strong Christian and spiritual undertones, and thus can foster spiritual growth and development.
A.A.'s 12-step model encourages self-reflection, promotes group discussion, and empowers its participants by allowing them to determine their own needs. Adriel learned that if he assesses a patient who exhibits signs of alcoholism, he can potentially refer them to attend an A.A. meeting as a form of holistic, nursing management.
To learn more about Adriel's experience with Alcoholics Anonymous, read the full assignment below.
In Adriel's pursuit to learn more about pharmacology and how different drugs affect patients across the health/illness continuum, he did extensive research on ganciclovir. He learned about its indications, adverse effects, etc. To learn more about this medication, the ganciclovir paper and it's accompanying presentation is below.
