PREPARE ME (Holistic Nursing Interventions) are the nursing interventions 

provided to address the multi-dimensional problems of cancer patients that can 

be given in any setting where patients choose to be confined. This program 

emphasizes a holistic approach to nursing care.

PREPARE ME has the following 

components:

Presence - being with another person during the times of need. This includes therapeutic communication, active listening, and touch.

Reminisce Therapy - recall of past experiences, feelings and thoughts to facilitate adaptation to present circumstances.

Prayer

Relaxation-Breathing - techniques to encourage and elicit relaxation for the 

purpose of decreasing undesirable signs and symptoms such as pain, muscle 

tension, and anxiety.

Meditation - encourages an elicit form of relaxation for the purpose of altering 

patient's level of awareness by focusing on an image or thought to facilitate inner 

sight which helps establish connection and relationship with God. It may be done 

through the use of music and other relaxation techniques.

Examine the meaning of theory

1. Terminally-ill patients especially cancer patients require holistic approach of 

nursing in different aspects of man namely the emotional, psychological, social and spiritual. In this premise, patients with incurable disease require multidimensional nursing care to improve quality of life. 

2. PREPARE ME nursing interventions are effective in improving quality of life in 

terminally-ill patients.

3. Utilization of intervention as a basic part of care given to cancer patients, 

likewise, incorporation in the basic nursing curriculum in the care of these patients. 

PREPARE ME must be introduced and focus during training of nurse both in 

academe and practice.

4. Development of training programs for care provider as well as health care 

profession where intervention is a part of treatment modalities.

5. The nurse must be honest about the feedback on his/her condition. Nurses 

must do so that they would know what the expectations of the patient and the 

family so that they may render a holistic caring style for the patient together with 

his family in his dying days. This would help the patient and family address the 

needs of the patient in any manner possible. (physical, emotional and spiritual)

6. The nurse must help make a supportive environment for the patient and his 

family in his dying days. An environment like this would promote dignity in his days 

left thus helping the patient accept his fate and help him/her be ready for the 

afterlife. The family is also guided in this rough time addressing their grieving 

process by instilling in them that death is part of life.

SUMMARY

It can only be applicable to terminally ill patients and hospice facilities

Abaquin's theory has a wide scope of application. She generated it primarily as a 

result of her experience with oncology patients. But it is not limited to use in the 

setting. It is applicable whenever a nurse encounters terminally-ill patients. 

It seems to be most useful when working with those patients with imminent death.

CRITICAL THINKING ACTIVITIES

1. Do u think with the nursing understaffing prevalence, PREPARE ME can still be 

a practical system to use?

2. How can you assess the need for PREPARE ME in clients?

3. How did the theory improve your caring values as a nurse?