Effects of religious beliefs on the assessment of nurses’ work in the perception of patients, nursing students and nurses

Abstract

Introduction: Religious orientation is associated with psychological well-being resulting from treating negative life events as opportunities for personal and spiritual development. Purpose: To assess the impact of religious beliefs on the evaluation of nurses' work in the perception of patients, nursing students, and nurses. Materials and methods: the study included 150 patients, 150 nurses, and 150 nursing students, using our questionnaire. Results: 56.7% of patients, 46.7% of students, and 47.7% of nurses assessed the religious sphere of life as very important. Respondents identified good family life as the most important value in life (82.7% of patients, 76% of students, and 92% of nurses). Emotional needs were the greatest motivation for students (70.7%) and nurses (72.7%) to increase religious activities; for patients, it was an illness in the family (42.7%). Patients (62.4%), students (48.7%), and nurses (61.1%) were of the opinion that religion could affect performing work-related tasks. Blood transfusion was the most likely procedure to be affected by patients’ religious beliefs (50% of patients, 44.7% of students, 58% of nurses) or nurses’ religious beliefs (29.3% of patients and 18.7% of nurses). Conclusions: Patients more often reported that religion may have some effects on choice of profession, and most respondents did not consider religious beliefs an obstacle in making new acquaintances or performing work-related tasks. In the case of a conflict between a nurse’s therapeutic activities and a patient’s or nurse’s religious beliefs, the nurse should assign the patient to another nurse.