Faith Community Nursing Research Articles

Growth of a Movement Through Spiritual Leadership: Faith Community Nursing in the United States.

Faith community nursing often is anchored in a community through local networks that support the development of both the ministry and the faith community nurse. Such local networks are established and sustained through the leadership of faith community nurses (FCNs). A research study interviewed nurses recognized as foundational to the development of FCNs in the United States from 1984 to 2000. The Waterwheel Model of Spiritual Leadership was used as a construct for interviewing 24 FCN leaders discovered through Delphi methodology. An adaptation of Colazzi's method of qualitative analysis was used to analyze data collected in videotaped format. Three predominant themes emerged that may be instrumental to developing future FCN leaders and growth of this specialty nursing practice.

Growth of a Movement Through Spiritual Leadership: Faith Community Nursing in the United States.

Growth of a Movement Through Spiritual Leadership: Faith Community Nursing in the United States.

Faith Community Nursing: Impacting Community-Based Care.

Faith community nurses (FCNs) are well positioned to serve individuals needing community-based healthcare within local healthcare systems, large church denominations, or through the support and resources of nonprofit faith community nursing organizations. This article briefly outlines development of the specialty of faith community nursing and proposes areas of research needed to grow the impact of this nursing specialty. Examples of FCNs working in and collaborating with healthcare systems, educational institutions, and congregations illustrate the value and diversity of FCN services for impacting community-based care. An exhaustive list of national, denominational, and regional organizations supporting FCN practice is included.

Faith Community Nursing: Impacting Community-Based Care.

Faith Community Nursing: Impacting Community-Based Care.

Promoting Connection in the Faith Community Through Letter Writing.

Faith community nurses can reduce loneliness and provide connection for homebound members of faith communities through promotion of letter writing. Undergraduate nursing students who were matched with members of their own faith community wrote letters to older adults for 10 weeks as a community service-learning project. Data from the UCLA Loneliness Scale pre- and post-intervention showed reduced loneliness and greater connection among recipients of the letters.

Using Nursing Interventions Classifications to Document Faith Community Nursing Transitional Care.

One out of five Medicare beneficiaries is readmitted within 30 days after hospital discharge, and as many as three in four readmissions are preventable. This study describes transitional care interventions (TCIs) delivered by one faith community nurse (FCN) to at-risk seniors living in a certain ZIP code. Two years of nursing documentation (2,280 interventions) were translated into Nursing Interventions Classification standardized nursing language. Results indicate the FCN provided priority TCIs including spiritual care. In fully describing TCIs using a nursing language, results support that the FCN transitional care model is a method worth exploring to provide wholistic transitional care.

Faith Community Nursing & Church Partnership.

Faith Community Nursing & Church Partnership.

A Faith Community Nursing Intervention for Informal Caregiver-Older Adult Dyads.

The purpose of this study was to test the impact of embedding trained Faith Community Nurse (FCN) interventionists in a Catholic Health System affiliated primary care practice as liaisons of care in the homes of older adult clients (OACs) and their informal caregiver (IC). Specific aims were to examine if a FCN intervention improved IC and OAC health, well-being, knowledge and understanding of chronic disease management, self-advocacy, and self-care. A non-random quasi-experimental design was used. Most ICs were spouses or adult children (M age = 66) who lived with the older adult (M age = 79). The ICs' scores significantly increased after the intervention on the Preparedness for Caregiving Scale (p = .002), Spirituality as Life, Meaning, and purpose (p = .026), and Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (p = .005). Future research is needed examining the FCN intervention with larger sample sizes in more diverse communities and acute care settings.

Faith Community Nursing and COVID-19: Creative and Inspired Practice.

A mixed-method, cross-sectional descriptive online survey was used to examine the impact of COVID-19 on faith community nurse (FCN) practice. The seven practice areas for FCNs provided a framework for a 20-question survey comparing their practice pre- and during COVID-19 was completed by 378 FCNs. The top five interventions during COVID were in the areas of spiritual support, health promotion, and advocating for services; a top need was peer support/networking. Creative strategies used to meet the faith community's needs were inspiring. Implications for practice adaptation are discussed.

Faith Community Nursing and COVID-19: Creative and Inspired Practice.

Faith Community Nursing and COVID-19: Creative and Inspired Practice.

COVID-19 Caregiving Strategies, Quality of Life, and Stress Among Faith Community Nurses and Faith Leaders in Appalachia.

Faith community nurses (FCNs), pastors, and priests faced many challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as frontline sources of support for congregants. The aim of this study was to identify the most common care strategies used during the COVID-19 pandemic and examine professional quality of life, perceived stress, and associated factors in faith leaders and FCNs in rural Appalachia. Using a cross-sectional, descriptive survey design, high compassion satisfaction was reported along with compassion fatigue as caregiving moved to virtual platforms, suggesting the need for greater support.

COVID-19 Caregiving Strategies, Quality of Life, and Stress Among Faith Community Nurses and Faith Leaders in Appalachia.

COVID-19 Caregiving Strategies, Quality of Life, and Stress Among Faith Community Nurses and Faith Leaders in Appalachia.

Faith Community Nurses Key to Promoting Health in At-Risk Communities: An Integrative Review.

An integrative literature review was conducted to identify recommendations to implement culturally congruent and spiritually connected approaches to health promotion in at-risk faith communities. Five themes emerged from an analysis of 48 articles meeting criteria for the review. Review results repeatedly highlighted the impact nurses-more specifically faith community nurses (FCNs)-can have on at-risk population outcomes and bridging the gap between minority communities and the healthcare establishment. Five recommended action steps provide program guidance to FCNs for promoting faith-based health in at-risk minority communities.

Faith Community Nurses Making a Difference for Older African Americans in a Pandemic.

During and after COVID-19, African Americans experienced a disparate amount of social isolation and loneliness and subsequent increases in morbidity and mortality. Faith community nurses are equipped to assist community providers, health practitioners, and local officials in addressing gaps in older African Americans' financial, social, physical, and spiritual needs during social distancing.

A Golden Treasure for Faith Community Nursing.

A Golden Treasure for Faith Community Nursing.

Faith Community Nurses Key to Promoting Health in At-Risk Communities: An Integrative Review.

Faith Community Nurses Key to Promoting Health in At-Risk Communities: An Integrative Review.

Identifying Mental Health Needs in the Faith Community.

Nearly one in five Americans suffers from a mental health disorder, and mental health issues have escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic. As trusted members of the community, faith community nurses are in a key position to assess mental health needs and take leadership roles in the faith community to address these needs. The aim of this project was to assess the mental health needs of one faith community. Qualitative data with quantitative data from secondary sources were gathered. Analysis revealed three problems for those suffering from mental health disorders: lack of resilience and coping strategies, fear and/or ignorance of mental health disorders, and unfamiliarity with community and health resources.

Blood Pressure Screening in Faith Communities: A Quality Improvement Project.

There is a direct relationship between elevated blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, so screening for elevated blood pressure is an essential nursing activity. This quality improvement project involving faith community nurses (FCNs) in 24 congregations and other sites tracked readings of blood pressures taken, referrals made, and education sessions provided during a 21-month period. Surveys revealed the project increased participants' awareness about screenings, FCN services, and evidence-based protocols, in addition to identifying high-risk congregants for care and treatment.

Dementia Case Management: Variances and Clinical Pathways for Dementia Case Management.

Greta Shealy, MSN, RN, has been an RN for more than 35 years, beginning in Obstetrics and the newborn nursery as she followed her husband, Jim, to his U.S. Air Force assignments in California, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Over the past 15 years, her career has taken her out of the hospital and into the community as a Faith Community Nurse, Executive Assistant for her church, a psychiatric home health nurse, and an insurance company chronic disease care manager. She spent 2 years on “sabbatical” as her mother's full-time caregiver and learned firsthand what so many of our clients are going through. Greta is completing her MSN in Case Management through American Sentinel College of Nursing and Health Science at Post University, where she is a member of the graduate student/faculty advisory board. Her story was recently highlighted by the MSN program in their student profiles. She and her husband spend as much time as possible with their four grown children, their families, and their four grandchildren. They currently reside in Clemson, SC, but spend as much time as possible in their camper in any mountain area near water that they can get to. Greta is passionate about the circle of life, especially palliative and end-of-life care, and hopes to use her degree and experience to advocate for people to live and die with dignity. Address correspondence to Greta Shealy, MSN, RN, 200 Lark Cir, Clemson, SC 29631 ([email protected]). You are invited to share your knowledge and experience. Do you have a question or issue you would like to see addressed here? Questions are always welcome. We encourage and invite all readers to submit questions and/or manuscripts, as well as topics you would like to see addressed in this department. All inquiries and submissions are accepted by email at: [email protected]. If you have an idea, you would like to discuss, send your contact information by email and you will be contacted via your preferred method. The author reports no conflicts of interest.

Starting a New Faith Community Nursing Program: From Dream to Reality.

Faith community nursing, also known as congregational nursing or parish nursing, is a relatively new addition in the pantheon of nursing subspecialties. Nurses working in this role tailor their services according to the needs of the faith community and often to the community at large. This article describes how one nurse pursued the specialty and helped initiate faith community nursing in her own church.