Integrative Nursing and Symptom Management

The principles of integrative nursing are reintroduced within the context of clinical decision making. Nursing interventions aimed at symptom relief support and facilitate whole person healing by using a range of approaches and evidence-based healing modalities. The integrative nurses assess mindbodyspirit while attending to physiologic systems and their interactions with the whole person. The focus on healing instead of curing shifts priorities and problem solving to include a wider range of treatment options. Increased use of integrative health modalities expands treatment options but also reminds nurses of the therapeutic value and healing potential of touch, comfort, and presence. Operationalizing integrative nursing principles requires “pragmatic idealism,” a task well suited to a profession invested in both the art and science of healing.