Holistic and Patient-Centered Care in Mental Health Nursing-Reflective NURS7072 Analysis

Since I have been placed in clinical shifts for mental health nursing, I have encountered a few events where I have to reflect on my beliefs, values, attitudes and cultural background and how these factors influence my interactions with mental health consumers.

Approach And Beliefs

This reflection provides insights into one's practices and how empathetic, unbiased the approach is and whether it aligns with the standards of mental health care. As a nurse and healthcare provider, my approach towards mental health is influenced by the core belief in the necessity of holistic care and the acknowledgment of mental health as an integral part of overall health. Since every life is important and holds value for its potential regardless of mental health issues, this belief has helped me to foster an empathetic and unprejudiced attitude toward patients with mental health issues, yet often I have found myself impacted by the stigmas existing in the society and personal prejudices which has caused me to reconsider my practices.

According to Knaak et al. (2017), stigma related to mental health has existed among healthcare professionals and the healthcare system, serving as an obstacle to accessing treatment and working towards recovery. There are incidents of provisions of poor quality of physical care for patients with mental illness and this stigma has negatively affected the help-seeking tendencies of people associated with healthcare that has as a result disrupted their performance. Thus, my course provides evidence-based literature on this issue, my approach has been influenced to practice a patient-centred approach, being compassionate and communicating openly. I try to create a comfort zone for mental health consumers such that they feel supported, valued and understood. However, due to the unconscious stigmatization of many mental health conditions, potential biases can emerge during the practice and thus I have to be careful with my interactions. Once I was dealing with a patient who was schizophrenic and I was behaving very nervously due to not knowing the severity and unpredictability of the illness. The stigmatization of schizophrenia has numerous consequences and causes severe harm to the patients, their families, the healthcare system and the overall community, whereas mental health professionals are one of the key perpetrators of stigmatization (Valery & Prouteau, 2020).

Recognizing these biases on a personal level and addressing them is critical as it influences the quality of care provided directly. Any biases, prejudice and negative presumptions can serve as obstacles to the therapeutic care relationship and reduce the effectiveness of the care plan and interventions and the involvement of the patient in their recovery process. Thus, by critically reflecting on my values and belief system I can rectify my behaviour and ensure that the care I provide is efficient, professional and respectful to the patient's needs.