Faith community nursing: A critical literature review and implications for public health nursing

Faith community nursing – a specialty practice recognized by the American Nurses Association – shares several goals of public health nursing. A critical literature review of 46 scholarly articles was done to gain an understanding of research conducted on the subject of faith community nursing (also referred to as parish nursing). Twenty-five articles described nursing research studies that are largely descriptive and exploratory in nature. Other articles describe conceptual frameworks and educational preparation for faith community nursing practice, and practice opportunities and academic partnerships associated with faith community nursing initiatives. A significant number of articles reviewed highlight faith community nurses' impact on population-based health. Examples of studies include a retrospective view of faith community nurse charting notes to estimate health care cost savings in the geriatric population. The national Healthy People initiative is cited as a basis for program planning by faith community nurses. Populations served by faith community nurses include older adults and child-rearing families; some programs have been targeted to specific racial/ethnic populations, such as lower-income Spanish-speaking adults without access to health care and African American women with heart disease. Interventions used by faith community nurses include health teaching, screening, counseling, case management, and referral. During the last decade, religious institutions have been increasingly recognized as partners in achieving community health goals because of their consistent and supportive relationships with their members and surrounding communities. This literature review demonstrates that nurses who practice in faith communities are ideally placed to provide holistic prevention strategies to populations. Further research is warranted to establish an evidence-based set of practice standards to advance faith community nursing as a community-based discipline. Faith community nursing is at a critical junction between its beginnings as a grassroots effort and its potential to become an evidence-based area of practice and important partner to public health nursing in reaching the nation's health care goals.