Making Connections: Integration of Psychiatric and Medical-Surgical Nursing and Relationship-Based Care

Abstract

There is a growing recognition of mind-body connection in our culture. Relationship-based care (RBC) represents a theoretical foundation for the application of the mind-body connection in the clinical setting. This article describes ways to incorporate mind-body and RBC concepts into nursing classroom and clinical experiences.

Nurses' Caring Attitude: Fall Prevention Program Implementation as an Example of Its Importance

“…Hospital rules and policies are there to serve the needs of the organization itself more than the needs of the patients and their families. In the healing process, effective nursing requires elements of technical expertise and compassion as well as a care environment that enhances the use of patient‐centered process (McCormack & McCance, 2006; Moriconi & Stabler‐Haas, 2010; Weydt, 2010).…”

“…Patient-centered and relationship-based care envisions education as a process that incorporates caring and mind-body connections, as well as respect for patients' differences, preferences, and expressed needs (Moriconi & Stabler-Haas, 2010). This process is meant to help nurses comprehend patient care, which includes the relationships of nurse to self, nurse to patient, and nurse to colleagues, and to revolutionize patient-centered care in a cost-effective manner.…”

“…In other words, clinical competence, critical thinking, caring, compassion, respect, and incorporation of the mind-body connection should be the components of every nursing curriculum. However, incorporating the body-mind-spirit connection into the curriculum remains a challenge to nurse educators (Moriconi & Stabler-Haas, 2010).…”

An Integrated Mental Health and Acute Care Clinical Rotation on a Dedicated Education Unit

“…15 Students learned to incorporate questions about mental status, psychosocial concerns, and general well-being into the medical-surgical assessment to underscore the relationship between physical and mental health. 16…”

“…A second article described incorporating psychiatric and medical-surgical nursing into the same rotation to reinforce the mind-body connection using the theoretical model of relationship-based care 15 . Students learned to incorporate questions about mental status, psychosocial concerns, and general well-being into the medical-surgical assessment to underscore the relationship between physical and mental health 16 …”