The Influence of Faith Community Nurses on Patients and Hospitals

Angel Smothers, Elizabeth Morrissey, and Eva Dolde*

Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, Department of Nursing, West Virgina University, Morgantown, WV 26506

Presentation Category: Health Sciences (Poster Presentation #130)

Student’s Major: Health & Well-being (Pre-Med)

A hospital readmission rate is the data collected by acute care facilities related to the rate of return of a discharged patient within 30 days of discharge. High readmission rates cost both hospitals and patients money and limit the availability of resources for others in need of acute care access. Hospitals have sought to identify methods to decrease the rate of 30-day readmissions through the use of transitional care nursing services. Faith community nurses (FCN) are licensed, registered nurses who use their nursing knowledge combined with spiritual care to provide holistic care for individuals. Faith community nurses specialize in helping community members during transitions in care. These transitions might include patients who are discharged home from the hospital, discharged to a long-term care facility, or discharged home with the hospice benefit. Faith community nurses can answer health-related questions their patients have while providing holistic care A review of the literature was completed to determine what the body of evidence shows as effective strategies for faith community nurses to promote transitions in care. The evidence demonstrated that the FCN can reduce readmission rates in their patients, thereby proving highly effective in promoting effective transitions in care.

Funding:

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) & accompanying HONR 297-level course