Strategies for innovative energy-based nursing practice: the Healing Touch program

Area of Science:

• Holistic Nursing
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Integrative Health

Background:

• Energy medicine is increasingly recognized as a vital component of patient expectations in healthcare.
• Watson's transpersonal-caring-healing model provides a theoretical framework for understanding the patient as an energetic being.
• The North American Nurses Diagnosis Association (NANDA) acknowledges energy therapy, specifically human energy field theory (HEFT).

Purpose of the Study:

• To share knowledge and practices in energy-based nursing to enhance healthcare delivery.
• To explore the application of Watson's transpersonal-caring-healing model in nursing practice.
• To highlight the benefits of energy therapy, such as Healing Touch (HT), for patient care and outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Exploration of Watson's transpersonal-caring-healing model.
• Discussion of human energy field theory (HEFT) and its relation to NANDA-approved nursing diagnoses.
• Examination of Healing Touch (HT) as an energy-based therapeutic intervention.

Main Results:

• Energy-based nursing, incorporating HT, positively influences physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health.
• Nurse researchers report positive patient outcomes associated with energy therapies.
• The holistic concept of energetic healing aligns with the core principles of nursing.

Conclusions:

• Energy-based nursing and therapies like HT offer a holistic approach, caring for the whole person.
• Increased knowledge of energy therapy can enhance patient satisfaction and improve outcomes for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI).
• Integrating energy-based practices can guide nurses back to the fundamental essence of their profession.