Psychological influences in critical care: perspectives from psychoneuroimmunology.

psychosocial interventions can affect the immune system and the progression of medical disorders. Investigators have begun to establish that responses to specific stress situations can result in impaired immunity and that relaxation and cognitive-behavioral stress management have health benefits, so efforts in helping persons maintain the highest level of health possible have become even more important. Thus, advanced practice nurses, indeed all critical care nurses, provide a critical link between patients and the attainment of health or prevention of disease by incorporating these techniques into therapeutic interventions. In this article, I provide an overview of the immune system and its relationship to stress in the context of psychoneuroimmunology and offer suggestions for health-promoting management of patients experiencing stress.