Introduction: Synopsis and Theme
In “A Patient’s Story,” Kenneth Schwartz provides a personal biopsychosocial narrative about his experiences undergoing treatment for cancer. Himself a physician, Schwartz finds himself adopting a new role as patient, seeing for the first time in his career the medical system from the patient’s point of view. The healthcare system that he had for so long contributed to as a doctor seemed suddenly limited, painfully bereft of the human factors that Schwartz claims would have enhanced his healing process.
Factors Schwartz never considered relevant or meaningful within the realm of healthcare service delivery—from eye contact and touch to the use of prayer—suddenly became central to his ability to build psychological and spiritual resilience during the toughest times of his life. Some nurses were “cool and brusque,” which promoted the already intense feelings of agitation, apprehension, anger, and fear burgeoning within Schwartz and his family members (p. 2). Other nurses offered him the opposite: brief moments of genuine kindness expressed through simple gestures and acts of kindness. Some of Schwartz’s needs were also fulfilled by small changes to the healthcare environment.
Schwartz had access to the best doctors and the best treatments available, thanks not only to his own professional stature but also to his family and colleague connections in oncology. Yet no amount of money or resources could substitute for the holistic treatment that Schwartz truly needed. The primary theme of “A Patient’s Story” is the importance of patient-centered care. Schwarz’s story also shows how healing is not just about elimination of disease. Healing is about cultivating the mental, emotional, and spiritual mindset conducive to wellbeing, transcending physical health status. It is about promoting a culture of healing among nurses and other healthcare workers, so that all patients feel safe, supported, and empowered. For some patients, healing will include the proximity to loved ones; to others it will entail specific religious practices. Regardless of the patient’s background or spiritual orientation, holistic patient-centered care can address the critical gaps in quality of service.
Statement on Complementary and Holistic Care
Schwartz’s narrative illustrates some of the key issues in complementary, holistic, and patient-centered care. Based on the Schwartz biopsychosocial narrative, nurses can learn how to improve communication with patients, how to create a patient-centered...
References
Booth, L., & Kaylor, S. (2018). Teaching Spiritual Care Within Nursing Education. Holistic Nursing Practice, 32(4), 177–181. doi:10.1097/hnp.0000000000000271
Gallison, B. & Kester, T. (2018). Connecting holistic nursing practice with relation-based care. Nurse Leader 16(3): 181-185. doi:10.1016/j.mnl.2018.03.007
Schwartz, K.B. (1995). A patient’s story. The Boston Globe Magazine. 15 July, 1995. http://www.theschwartzcenter.org/media/patient_story.pdf
Timmins, F., Murphy, M., Neill, F., et al. (2015). An exploration of the extent of inclusion of spirituality and spiritual care concepts in core nursing textbooks. Nurse Education Today 35(1): 277-282. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2014.05.008
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