2.5 contact hours Faith Community/Parish Nurse Literature: Exciting Interventions, Unclear Outcomes ArkReligion.com / Art Directors & TRIP / Alamy by Robyn Dandridge Robyn Dandridge, MSN, RN, CAPA, is a staff nurse in the recovery room of an outpa- tient surgery center. She completed her parish nurse training in 2010. The author declares no conflict of interest. Accepted by peer review 5/2/2013. Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the printed text and are provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article at journalofchristiannursing.com DOI:10.1097/CNJ.0000000000000063 Sean Pavone / Alamy 100 JCN/Volume 31, Number 2 journalofchristiannursing.com Copyright © 2014 InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. he concept of health ministry— the necessity to continue to promote used by parish nurses in the United supporting and caring for the faith community/parish nurse practice States. A secondary purpose was to Tsick through the faith commu- (Thompson, 2010). determine the value of the parish nity, has existed for millennia. Today, Furthermore, as hospitals strive to nurse in health promotion and ongoing changes in healthcare have contain healthcare costs, partnerships disease prevention based on measured led to an increasing need for health with parish nurse programs are seen as outcomes. CONTEXT FOR PARISH NURSING The modern day concept of parish nursing has its origins in Germany as far back as 1836 (Kreutzer, 2010). Parish ABSTRACT: Faith community/parish nurses provide a variety of nursing has its contemporary origins in services thought to yield positive health outcomes. An integrative literature the United States beginning in the review was conducted to identify interventions most commonly used by 1970s with the Reverend Granger parish nurses in the United States and determine the value of the parish Westberg (Solari-Twadell & Hackbarth, 2010). The American Nurses Association nurse in health promotion and disease prevention. A review of 22 articles (ANA) and Health Ministries published 2008 to 2013 revealed that parish nurses are providing a Association (HMA) currently use the wealth of interventions to diverse populations but are not successfully title faith community nursing because evaluating outcomes. this term encompasses all faith traditions KEY WORDS: faith community, health promotion, logic model, (Thompson, 2010). Patterson and Slutz Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC), parish nursing, program noted that in Christian settings, the term “Parish Nurse” can be more evaluation appropriate because it implies this ministry is more than just nursing to a faith community. They also point out the ANA and HMA Scope and Standards of Practice (2012) allows for ministry through the faith community. a mutually beneficial way to collaborate the faith community nurse to be As healthcare becomes progressively with the community, reach out with referred to as a parish nurse, congrega- difficult to navigate as well as cost pro- services, and support parish nurse tional nurse, health ministry nurse, hibitive, many will be unable to access programs (Messerly, King, & Hughes, crescent nurse, or health and wellness preventive and supportive care. The 2012; Sheehan et al., 2013). Patterson nurse to fit the community’s culture and elderly are particularly vulnerable given and Slutz (2011) point out that while faith tradition (Patterson & Slutz, 2011). alterations in the traditional family healthcare agencies may see the church Parish nurses actively serve faith structure, advancements in healthcare, going segment of the population as an communities that are Christian, Jewish, and increase in life expectancy. Faith “untapped market for clients...parish Muslim, Buddhist, and other faith community/parish nurse programs are nursing is not a way for community traditions in the United States, Canada, stepping in to fill the gaps (McCabe healthcare organizations to ‘get into Australia, Korea, the United Kingdom, & Somers, 2009). In fact, not only are churches.’ Parish nursing is a way for New Zealand, countries in Asia and such programs assisting with access churches to ‘get into the community’” Africa, and possibly all over the world issues in healthcare, parish nurses may (p. 33). In other words, health ministry (Solari-Twadell & Hackbarth, 2010, represent a new way to help under- allows the church to reach beyond its p. 69). served populations take responsibility own congregation and serve the larger Faith community/parish nurses are for their health (Monay, Mangione, community. knowledgeable in professional nursing Storrell-Thompson, & Baig, 2010). Identification of common and and spiritual care. By definition, Faith community/parish nurses provide successful interventions will assist in a variety of services, many related to defining the role of the faith community/ Faith community nursing is a educational interventions and refer- parish nurse (Solari-Twadell & Hackbarth, specialized practice of professional rals, and it is thought faith-based health 2010) and influence future practice. nursing that focuses on the inten- services yield positive health outcomes. This article reports on an integrative tional care of the spirit as well as on These identified positive outcomes literature review conducted to identify the promotion of wholistic health and and other community needs indicate nursing interventions most commonly prevention or minimization of illness journalofchristiannursing.com JCN/April-June 2014 101 Copyright © 2014 InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. within the context of a faith community...The goals of an FCN Table 1: Nursing Journals Publishing Faith are the protection, promotion, and Community Nurse Intervention Articles 2008 to 2013 optimization of health and abilities; Number of Intervention the prevention of illness and injury; Journal Name: Articles Reviewed: and the alleviation of suffering in the Geriatric Nursing 1 context of the values, beliefs, and practices of a faith community...or Issues in Mental Health Nursing 1 faith-based community agency. Journal of Advanced Nursing 1 (ANA & HMA, 2012, p. 5) Journal of Christian Nursing 11 In terms of basic training, the Journal of Community Health 1 International Parish Nurse Resource Journal of Gerontological Nursing 1 Center offers a basic preparation Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing 4 curriculum. This course, “Foundations Journal of Trauma Nursing 1 of Faith Community Nursing,” was “developed from a Judeo-Christian Public Health Nursing 1 theological framework and is applicable to and respectful of other faith nurses. Although these services are adherence and lifestyle modifications traditions” (Thompson, 2010, p. 76). accessed mostly by older adults, parish (Mayermik, Resick, Skomo, & For ongoing development, parish nurses offer care to diverse populations, Mandock, 2010). Services specifically nurses read faith community nursing who, among other things, are, “the for women included providing coping literature and attend workshops and young and old, newly married and assistance by implementing behavioral symposia such as the annual HMA recently widowed, new parents, and interventions (Solari-Twadell, 2010), a conference and Westberg Symposium. families whose young adults have community-based program for recently left home” (Anaebere & Mexican-American women with EXPLORING PARISH NURSE DeLilly, 2012, p. 339). Although usually gestational diabetes (Mendelson, LITERATURE provided in the client’s home or place McNeese-Smith, Koniak-Griffin, A literature search of articles of worship, parish nurses serve in Nyamathi, & Lu, 2008), and a program published in peer-reviewed journals community health fairs, on mobile for osteoporosis prevention and was used to explore interventions health units, in outpatient clinics, via management (Foster-Burke, Ritter, & employed by parish nurses. The search telecommunication, and more. Zimmer, 2010). was limited to articles available in Patient populations represented Parish nurses provide wholistic care English and published U.S. journals. were the elderly, low-income individu- believing the nurse must care for the Using EBSCO Host and OVID search als, those with mental health issues, body, mind, and spirit. In a grounded engines, a search initially was conduct- chronic disease sufferers, women, theory study, Van Dover and Pfeiffer ed for the period of 2008 to 2012 children, and populations at high-risk (2012) relayed how patients of parish using the key words parish nurse, for certain illnesses. For example, parish nurses experienced renewed spiritual parish nurse interventions, faith nurses provided blood pressure identity. Anaebere and DeLilly (2012) community nurse, programs by a faith measurements, hypertension-specific examined how parish nurses seek to community nurse, programs by a education, and counseling to commu- understand the impact of religious parish nurse, and effective programs by nity-dwelling, low income patients beliefs on life transitions and spiritual a faith community nurse. The initial with elevated blood pressure (Monay et and mental healthcare. search, using “parish nurse” yielded al., 2010). In another study, a physical 299 results while the search phrase, activity intervention was implemented CLASSIFYING INTERVENTIONS “effective programs by a faith commu- for members of an African Methodist When the parish nurse role