Helping student nurses to identify and respond to the psychological needs of physically ill patients: Implications for curriculum design

SummaryIt is universally accepted that nursing practice is predicated upon the notion of holistic care, in that nurses need to address not only the physical needs of ill patients but also their psychological, social, spiritual, and environmental needs. However, there is considerable evidence to suggest that nurses often inadequately identify and respond to patients’ psychological needs, sometimes with adverse consequences for physical health and recovery. This may be because they do not fully understand the concept of psychological care, or have been inadequately prepared or educated to deliver it in practice. Following a summary of relevant literature and an overview of findings from a larger study of the nature and experience of psychological caregiving, this paper discusses specific findings on preparing nurses for their psychological caregiving role. The paper proposes a curriculum framework designed to enhance awareness, knowledge, and skill in effective psychological caregiving in nursing practice, to the ultimate benefit of physically ill patients. For the purposes of this paper, psychological care is taken to mean one element of the broader concept of care, rather than being synonymous with it.