Concept Analysis in Health Literature and Practice

Abstract
Hospitality in healthcare is presented in this study as the concept that ensures holistic comfort and care towards patients within the hospital environment. This could be assured through the help of modern patient-oriented facilities and experienced health care professionals. This study highlights the analysis of the hospitality concept within the various healthcare literatures and the importance within nursing care. The historical perspective and the current application of hospitality in healthcare compare the meaning to the theological understanding of the concept. The analysis of the concept in literature emphasizes the provision of a genuine service of kindness to patients within hospitals from admission to the point of discharge. The analysis shows the gaps in the definition of the concept and the various researches available on the same. Then there is the presentation of the measurement tools in which the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) is used. The critique of other measurement tools, gaps and challenges involved. This is followed by the application of the concept to graduate-level including personal application and recommendations.
Hospitality Concept Analysis in Health literature and practice
Introduction
The term hospitality generally refers to a friendly as well as generous reception alongside entertainment that is always accorded to visitors or guests in a new environment (Kelly et al., 2016). This provides one of the common yet simplistic definitions. The term also denotes the nature of the business that entails the entertainment of clients or conference official delegates. However, such definition has been considered not certain, therefore, leading to a contradictory context amongst scholars in recent years concerning the actual definition of hospitality. Despite this, the pursuance of the construct of hospitality and the eventual impact on healthcare within the hospital environment calls for the definition of the meaning within the context of our study. A broader definition would entail more than just a brief exchange between persons concerning basic needs and encompass many components (Kelly et al., 2016).
Importance of hospitality in nursing/healthcare
Hospitality and hospitals share a close relationship over the past many years (Steele et al., 2015). This is since hospitality seems to form the major part of the hospital’s advancements, especially within the competitive world. In this case, hospitality has been applicable as the tool for winning and retaining customers in hospitals. Previously, hospitals were considered as institutions that accorded patients treatment-related care such as diagnosis, cure, and treatment of diseases through services provided by doctors as well as medical practitioners. However, the current definition of hospitals encompasses hospitality services which have eventually taken the concept of hospitals to another level. The inclusion of hospitality made hospitals to be seen as places that provide comfort, care through some of the modern patient-oriented facilities. These facilities also offer diagnosis, preventive, treatment as well as cure of ailments for patients (Kelly et al., 2016).
Hospitality in health care has emerged as an important concept within the health care literature. However, the various researches that surround the patient experiences within hospitals only focus on the delivery of the customer services (Elliott et al., 2010). This is done through the implementation of the service delivery channels that ensure the measuring of quality through myriad systems alongside procedures. Such aspect is equally important especially in the management of the daily routine and functioning of hospital processes. Though the aspect of relationships that also involves interacting with hospital amenities are considered to play a significant role in ensuring that the expectations of clients are fully met (Jenkins et al., 2011).
A concise introduction of hospitality in healthcare
According to the research by Cockburn-Wootten and Brewis (2014), the process of providing care can at times be marred by tension in the interpersonal relationships between management, patients as well as staff. This calls for extensive research in the area of hospitality for the purposes of exploring the nature of interpersonal relationships that influences the experiences of patients for the purposes of understanding the nature of patient’s emotional well-being (Fottler et al., 2006). Such dimensions demand the services of professionals from the hospitality background that would ensure the maintenance of quality standards for the satisfaction of the patient within various departments. Their main function could entail identification, preparation, organization as well as service of specific food nature of food to different patients that are admitted within the hospital premises (Steele et al., 2015). Importantly, there are different types of diets that are served to patients some of which include normal diet, diabetic, low-salt diet, low-fat diet, high fiber diet amongst others. The management services entail the individuals who head every department and are responsible for the functioning as well as quality monitoring for each department. For instance, the food and beverage department combines two sub-sections which are operations and dietetics. Then there are kitchen expertise services which are equipped with a specialist in equipment used for food service, they are also concerned with the stringent hygiene norms (Severt et al., 2008).
Thesis statement
“Hospitality is important for maintaining quality patient care and the APRN is in the unique position of being hospitable physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally because of their frequent visits/treatment/contact with the patient. The interaction of the APRN should bring about ‘healing power’ such that patients receive the Gospel and accept Jesus as their Savior.”
2. Historical and Current use of Hospitality in Healthcare
a) Definition of concept in healthcare
A number of the existing literature ascertains to the fact that interpersonal relationships with hospital staff and health care professionals influence to a greater extent the patient’s entire experiences during care alongside their well-being (Wu et al., 2013). According to Gascon et al., (2012), hospitality refers to the entire system that ensures the patient experience is conditioned from different forms of relationships that also entail power struggles, expectations as well as organizational demands. It is also important to consider some of the factors that may interfere with the hospitality concept in health care. In some instances, the environments under which the care services are given seem to be aggressive and violent and may lead to situations related to post-traumatic stress (Shalev, 2009). There are also some cases of violence as well as verbal aggression from patients directed to caregivers that may result in demoralization and depersonalization of service. Such cases largely impact the nurse’s ability and desire to offer genuine service as well as an emotional connection with clients. However, such tensions as identified were beyond the scope of this study, therefore, their impact on hospitality and care could not be established in our case.
The nature of quality care provided to patients within the health care system entails the structure, process as well as results of the service rendered. According to Huycke and All (2000), the structure of health care concerns the nature of the physical environment while the process entails the nature of the relationship between the health care professional and the patients and the results focus on the health status of the patient at the point of discharge. In actual sense, quality care refers to the relationship between the caregivers and the recipients. Provision of quality care as an element of hospitality considers aspects beyond the act of just provision of a task. In most instances, quality care is measured at the point of therapeutic contributions. The individual-centered care ensures the improvement of quality of care since the focus does not focus only on completion of a task but on the ultimate personal customization (McCormack and McCance, 2006).
b) Historical perspective of hospitality in healthcare
Sourial (1997) asserts that historically spirituality represents one of the imperative concepts that help in the holistic care for patients in caring science. From the historical perspective hospitality focused on the provision of services that ensured physical comfort such as accommodation, food, alongside psychological comfort from the host (Lashley et al., 2007). Hospitality was offered across the population to different persons that included the travelers and the sick alike. The act of care conferred to the sick was highly esteemed from the religious perspective as the highest form of hospitality. Therefore, it is noted that hospitals evolved from the monastic hospitality that was provided for the sick during the Middle Ages (O’Gorman, 2006). This marked the connection between the church and the hospitals which have eroded over the centuries which has made the majority of current hospitals to be under either private or public management. In a spiritual context, the term hospitality should encompass an environment that is free and friendly that provides amongst other things, physical, emotional as well as spiritual atmosphere to aliens (Bunkers, 2003). This relates to the meaning of hospitality in this study since the sole focus is on the comfort of the sick as accorded by the hospital environment and the health care professionals that contribute to the holistic healing of the sick.
In the same manner, Kelly et al., (2016) refer to hospitality in healthcare as the holistic behavior that encompasses the importance of whole persons alongside the inter-dependence of their parts. In this case, the whole person refers to the social, biological, spiritual and psychological aspects of a patient. The provision of holistic care to the patients enables the clinicians to improve on their understanding of the effects of illness and the appropriate responses applicable that are true to the needs of individuals. In the event that care only focuses on the biological perspective and ignores the associated social or psychological impact, there is always a negative response to the healing process (Kelly et al., 2016). Such negative outcome contradicts the theological perspective that champions for a free and friendly environment around the sick. Such hospitable acts such as friendliness, unity, intimacy ensure the creation of an environment representing God’s power and presence that acts as an assurance to the sick for their healing.
Lashley et al., (2007), refers to hospitality as individualized care that considers the different unique needs that point to specific health concerns of a patient that enables the provision of customized interventions. The achievement of individualization calls for spiritual intimacy that ensures the existence of an understanding of the individual’s life situation apart from their ability to make health decisions. The various individual life situations entail being knowledgeable on God, culture, traditions, beliefs as well as preferences. The aspect of individualizing care shows the extent to which unique history, as well as people’s personality, is appreciated. This is done through recognition of their perspectives as well as providing customized care that best cares for their needs. It is important that care is organized based on the patient’s preferences as well as needs instead of being rigid on following only institutional standards. Such aspect of focusing on institutional routines is arguably contrary to individualized care since the same aspect cannot fit in all patients’ circumstances (Kelly et al., 2016).
The hospitality concept encompasses the attribute of respectfulness that relates to honesty from the theological perspective; this provides one of the rights and driving forces behind the concept. In this case, the right to treatment with respect or rather honest treatment makes individuals to feel the recognition of being competent in decision making especially concerning their own care. In this case, patients are considered as active consumers of health services, therefore having the right to choose the nature of service and care that fits them. The different wide options that are available for choice within the health sector recognizes as well as respects individual values that eventually encourage human strength as well as their abilities to freely choose. While Kelly et al. (2016) consider hospitality as the respect for basic choices like preferences on meals, visit schedules, sleeping as well as privacy, hospitality encompasses superior choices.
Analysis of hospitality in nursing healthcare literature
Analysis
Hospitality as defined by different healthcare literature point to facts that ensures patients are encouraged based on the principles of autonomy and self-confidence. The various attributes of hospitality as defined in health care gives prime importance especially in patients who seem most vulnerable. Self-confidence helps in promoting qualities such as self-determination which is a key factor that determines the patient’s involvement in decision making. Individual participation in making health care decisions considers the input of patients on their own self-care. The instances where an individual is assisted in processes of obtaining information, supporting individual choices, making effective communication including negotiations on their behalf make patient’s feel empowered and involved in healthcare decisions (Kelly et al., 2016).
Gaps
The gap in the practice of hospitality can be identified in the level of genuineness in the act of kindness on various activities that surrounds the concept. For instance, antecedents help caregivers to provide hospitality and care effectively. The health care environment for the inpatients provides the primary determining factor that influences the nurses’ ability to provide patient-centered care (Kelly et al., 2016). The health care environment that usually comprises of the physical, as well as the cultural aspects, helps in dictating the parameters for care and hospitality. These have the potential of either promoting or hindering the ability of nurses to individualize care to each patient. The antecedents that help in creating a patient-centered environment entails the organization’s vision, attitude, behaviors, and shared governance.
However, in the theological perspective, the genuine meaning of hospitality originated from the historical roots of religion with the service referring to the monastic hospitality where monks were involved in the practice and writing of hospitality under the St Benedict’s Rule (O’Gorman, 2007). The invitation of a traveler into a monastery revealed the generous provision of hospitality services that were freely provided through the meeting of physical needs of such guests. The emphasis was always in the provision of a genuine act of kindness to aliens which entail washing of their feet. The spirit of such kind of service was engraved in the belief that it is the poor rather than the rich that had the greatest need for special care in most instances. The nature of care offered to the sick during religious moments was considered the only genuine hospitality. Okholm (2007) further explores the Rule of Benedict where monks are expected to welcome each visitor “as if that visitor was Jesus Christ.” Following this concept means that nurses would consider all the patients to be special. The nurses would then offer care to the patients as if they were ministering to Jesus himself.
Research available on hospitality concept
Research shows that there is a high possibility that the interpersonal relationship between guest and host create an element of hospitable behavior that relates to the true picture of hospitality (Hemmington, 2007). There are suggestions pointing to the fact that genuine hospitable behavior calls for positive motive that entail true concern towards the welfare alongside the pleasure of the guest (Telfer, 2000). On the contrary, Kelly et al. (2016), argues for the fact that honest hospitality is not easily achieved owing to the power distance relationship that exists between the host and the visitor, the distance is what actually entails hospitality according to the author. However, this study may adopt one motive of hospitality that focuses on caring for those in need usually referred to as “Good Samaritan hospitality” (Telfer, 2000). In this study, it refers to the individual who direly needs the feeling of being valued as well as recognized as those who deserve hospitable behavior from others.
The emphasis on hospitality has been majorly placed upon the service delivery as well as service quality; however, these two attributes fail to include the vibrancy retrieved from the commercial hospitality industry (Hemmington, 2007). Historically, the essence of hospitality has been lost over time as a result of impersonal exchanges within the commercial hospitality (Lynch et al., 2011). There is the aspect that focuses on the essentiality of the consumer experiences in the process of delivery of hospitality products since it has the capability of creating memorable experiences that are important to the clients. There is a significant relationship between hospitality and entertainment (Lugosi, 2008). Lugosi (2008) provides three models that describe hospitality in its highest form. In this description, the author asserts that the center of the encounter of hospitality entails an emotional experience.
Additionally, the aspect of emotional connectedness is born out of the understanding of the caring nature of healthcare. Wright-St Clair (2001), consents to this idea by arguing that the client being attended need to feel the attendant from the heart and not just from the head. Such level of care demands a holistic perspective towards the client. There is demand for compassion that creates some inner fulfillment on both parties involved (Youngson, 2012). However, the concept of hospitality across the health care literature is still considered as emerging despite some articles championing for the hospitality concept as a greater part of current nursing management (Kelly et al., 2016). However, there is a need for critical examination on the social as well as the dimensional forms of hospitality within the hospital setting.
According to Stanley (2002), the element of “Presence” emerged from the nursing literature and since then has been conceptualized to represent a philosophical model derived from the works of Gabriel Marcel and Martin Heidegger. In this case, the aspect of presence focuses on the availability and openness between parties. The concept of nursing presence is key in the process of enhancing the patient’s experiences within different hospital environments. Nurses have described the benefits of presence in a wider perspective that makes them feel the essence of meaningfulness for patients with them included. The presence provokes the feeling of comfort as well as peace, therefore, eliminating the aspect of anxiety and feeling vulnerable from the side of patients. Conversely, in the event that an attendant shows some sense of little interest in the emotional being of the patient and only perceives them as an object of analysis, makes the patients feel uncared for. It is, therefore, important for the nurses to connect with the patients at the emotional level (Renzenbrink, 2011).
Further, Laschinger, Hall, Pedersen, & Almost (2005) presents nursing care as the strongest predictor of the overall satisfaction from the clients. This is basically based on their experiences with the provided health care. The nature of hospitality p...