Providing coping assistance for women with behavioral interventions.

OBJECTIVE

To describe what parish nurses believe is essential to their practice and identify what nursing interventions they most frequently use.

DESIGN

Descriptive cross sectional study.

PARTICIPANTS

The International Parish Nurse Resource Center provided a list of nurses who completed the standardized core curriculum on parish nursing and were currently working in parish nurse roles in faith communities in the United States.

METHODS

The Nursing Intervention Classification System Survey was mailed to 2,330 parish nurses with return envelopes.

RESULTS

The 1,161 parish nurse respondents (50% return) resided in faith communities in 47 states and represented major religious denominations from Christian and non-Christian religious affiliations. Participants identified the most frequently used nursing interventions were in the behavioral domain and coping assistance system.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses working in faith communities are frequently using nursing interventions related to health promotion and coping assistance. The findings are valuable to all nurses in identifying strategies and collaborations for enhancing the well-being of women and their families. Improving quality of life through the collaborative support of community agencies, health care providers, and members of the faith community are integral to women's health.