An Innovative Role for Faith Community Nursing: Palliative Care Ministry

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Public Health
• Religious Studies

Background:

• Palliative care services are expanding in hospitals and outpatient settings.
• There is a significant lack of home-based palliative care options.
• Faith community nursing (FCN) is an established area of practice within faith communities.

Observation:

• This article proposes a novel model for faith-based palliative care.
• The model utilizes faith community nurses (FCNs) to deliver home-based care.
• A palliative care doula, an expert nurse, would lead the FCNs.

Findings:

• FCNs can offer crucial support to patients with serious illnesses in their homes.
• This approach integrates palliative care principles into existing faith community health ministries.
• The model provides new avenues for FCNs to expand their practice.

Implications:

• This paradigm shift can significantly increase access to palliative care at home.
• It offers a framework for faith communities to support vulnerable populations.
• Further research into the effectiveness and scalability of this model is warranted.