Christian Nurses Research Articles

Spirituality and Spiritual Care Competence among Expatriate Nurses Working in Saudi Arabia

Background: In Saudi Arabia, where the majority of the nursing workforce are foreigners, little is known about perceptions of spirituality and spiritual caregiving among foreign nurses who provide nursing care to patients with varied spiritual and religious beliefs. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the spirituality and spiritual care competence and its predictors among expatriate Christian nurses in Saudi Arabia, who provide care for Muslim patients. Methods: A convenience sample of 302 nurses was surveyed in this descriptive cross-sectional study using the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale and the Spiritual Care Competence Scale. Results: Results revealed high values on three domains, namely, spiritual care, personal care, and existential spirituality. The majority of the respondents reported competence in all six subscales of spiritual care. The participants’ age, educational level, perception of existential spirituality, and personal care were found to be relevant predictors of their spiritual care competence. Conclusions: The findings suggest that existential spirituality and personal care dimensions of Christian nurses’ spirituality and spiritual care perceptions play critical roles in the provision of competent spiritual care to Muslim patients.

Strategies Christian Nurses Use to Create a Healing Environment

From Nightingale forward, nursing has understood that interaction of person, nurse, and environment facilitates optimal outcomes. Yet, there remains a need for research on the paradigm concept of environment and creation of a healing environment. This classical, grounded theory study aimed to identify (1) strategies Christian nurses used to create a healing environment and enhance well-being, (2) outcomes they perceived resulting from these strategies, and (3) factors they regarded as either enhancing or inhibiting the creation of the healing environments. A criterion-based, purposive sample of Christian nurses (N = 15) was interviewed between June 2013 and January 2014 until data saturation was reached. Data were analyzed using constant comparative methods in consultation with a grounded theory expert. “Charting the healing path,” the core category, consists of four phases: helping patients get better, fostering the healing environment, charting a healing path, and observing outcomes. The “charting the healing path” model informs development of the environment domain of nursing knowledge. Knowing the patient, the juncture of nurse and patient points of view, and the resultant nurse–patient partnership promote best potential outcomes to be realized incrementally during, and after, hospitalization.

Nurse opinions about initiating spiritual conversation and prayer in patient care.

The aim of this study was to understand nurses' opinions about initiating spiritual or religious conversation during patient care and to measure how these perspectives are associated with demographic, religious and work-related characteristics. Nurses are expected to provide spiritual care and do so in diverse ways. Little is known about how nurses think about initiating spiritual or religious discourse. Cross-sectional, quantitative. Online survey methods allowed data collection from 445 nurses. The survey, accessed from the homepage of the Journal of Christian Nursing for 6months beginning June 2015, included scales measuring various facets of religiosity, and items assessing nurse opinions about introducing spirituality or religion during patient care and demographic and work-related variables. Variables showing significant associations with Nurse Opinion items in bivariate analyses were examined using binary logistic regression. About 90% of participants believed it appropriate to initiate conversation about spirituality/religion and nearly three-quarters thought it appropriate to self-disclose spirituality/religion or offer prayer under certain circumstances or anytime. All personal religiosity indicators except tentativeness of belief were found to be associated with responses to Nurse Opinion items. That is, higher religiosity was associated with opinion one could initiate such conversations, whereas lower religiosity was associated with waiting for patients to initiate. Nurses working in a faith-based organization were 276% more likely to believe they could initiate such conversation and 153% more likely to think they could initiate an offer of prayer. Nurse religiosity and work environment were associated with nurse opinions about initiating spiritual/religious discourse with patients.

Getting to Know the NCFI International Institute of Christian Nursing.

Getting to Know the NCFI International Institute of Christian Nursing.

Caring from a Christian Worldview: Exploring Nurses' Source of Caring, Faith Practices, and View of Nursing.

This study explored Christian nurses' views of their source of caring (Deity or other), adherence to biblical faith practices, and view of nursing as a job, career, profession, or calling. Participants who reported Deity (God, Christ, Holy Spirit) as their source of caring were more likely to view nursing as a calling and report a higher degree of volunteering (serving), giving (financially to a religious community), devotions and prayer (personal walk), and fellowship (meeting with a community of other believers). Results have implications for understanding the concept of caring within the context of a Christian worldview.

A Nursing Practice Model Based on Christ: The Agape Model.

Nine out of 10 American adults believe Jesus was a real person, and almost two-thirds have made a commitment to Jesus Christ. Research further supports that spiritual beliefs and religious practices influence overall health and well-being. Christian nurses need a practice model that helps them serve as kingdom nurses. This article introduces the Agape Model, based on the agape love and characteristics of Christ, upon which Christian nurses may align their practice to provide Christ-centered care.

Nurse Religiosity and Spiritual Care: An Online Survey.

This study measured the frequency of nurse-provided spiritual care and how it is associated with various facets of nurse religiosity. Data were collected using an online survey accessed from the home page of the Journal of Christian Nursing. The survey included the Nurse Spiritual Care Therapeutics Scale, six scales quantifying facets of religiosity, and demographic and work-related items. Respondents ( N = 358) indicated high religiosity yet reported neutral responses to items about sharing personal beliefs and tentativeness of belief. Findings suggested spiritual care was infrequent. Multivariate analysis showed prayer frequency, employer support of spiritual care, and non-White ethnicity were significantly associated with spiritual care frequency (adjusted R2 = .10). Results not only provide an indication of spiritual care frequency but empirical encouragement for nurse managers to provide a supportive environment for spiritual care. Findings expose the reality that nurse religiosity is directly related, albeit weakly, to spiritual care frequency.

Effective Listening: Five Lessons from the Best.

For many nurses, especially when workloads are high, it can be difficult to listen carefully to patients. Federally mandated Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) surveys that help determine insurance reimbursement are asking patients how carefully their nurses listened. For Christian nurses, effective listening demonstrates the compassion, understanding, and care modeled by Jesus. An exploration of Jesus' responses reveals five ways Christ effectively listened to people that can guide nurses.

Executive Summary: Transforming Moral Distress into Moral Resilience in Nursing.

To examine practices for addressing moral distress, a collaborative project was developed by the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, the American Journal of Nursing, and the Journal of Christian Nursing, along with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and the American Nurses Association. Its purpose was to identify strategies that individuals and systems can use to mitigate the detrimental effects of moral distress and foster moral resilience. On August 11 and 12, 2016, an invitational symposium, State of the Science: Transforming Moral Distress into Moral Resilience in Nursing, was held at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in Baltimore, Maryland. Forty-five nurse clinicians, researchers, ethicists, organization representatives, and other stakeholders took part. The result of the symposium was group consensus on recommendations for addressing moral distress and building moral resilience in four areas: practice, education, research, and policy. Participants and the organizations represented were energized and committed to moving this agenda forward. The full report is available online at http://journals.lww.com/ajnonline/Pages/Moral-Distress-Supplement.aspx.

Aligning Career with Faith: Reflective Practice for Christian Nurse Educators.

Christian nurses are challenged by the process of incorporating faith and Christianity into their career. Nurse educators are particularly challenged to embed Christian principles into the tenure and promotion journey. Developing a God-inspired plan takes time and patience. Prayer, reflective practice, evaluation, decisions, and follow-through are areas that can be incorporated to infuse faith throughout the tenure and promotion process.

Demystifying Nursing Theory: A Christian Nursing Perspective.

How does nursing theory apply to nursing practice? Nursing theory can explain the why and how of nursing practice, guide nursing interventions, and provide a framework for measuring outcomes. This article briefly explains nursing theory, provides examples for applying theory to nursing practice, and proposes questions for examining the consistency of nursing theories with Christian perspectives. A helpful table illustrating grand, middle-range, and situation-specific theories and their application to nursing practice and research, along with references, is provided online as supplemental digital content. Three caring theories are analyzed from biblical beliefs.

Executive Summary: Transforming Moral Distress into Moral Resilience in Nursing.

: To examine practices for addressing moral distress, a collaborative project was developed by the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, the American Journal of Nursing, and the Journal of Christian Nursing, along with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and the American Nurses Association. Its purpose was to identify strategies that individuals and systems can use to mitigate the detrimental effects of moral distress and foster moral resilience. On August 11 and 12, 2016, an invitational symposium, State of the Science: Transforming Moral Distress into Moral Resilience in Nursing, was held at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in Baltimore, Maryland. Forty-five nurse clinicians, researchers, ethicists, organization representatives, and other stakeholders took part. The result of the symposium was group consensus on recommendations for addressing moral distress and building moral resilience in four areas: practice, education, research, and policy. Participants and the organizations represented were energized and committed to moving this agenda forward. The full report is available online at http://journals.lww.com/ajnonline/Pages/Moral-Distress-Supplement.aspx.

A Collaborative State of the Science Initiative: Transforming Moral Distress into Moral Resilience in Nursing.

: To examine practices for addressing moral distress, a collaborative project was developed by the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, the American Journal of Nursing, and the Journal of Christian Nursing, along with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and the American Nurses Association. Its purpose was to identify strategies that individuals and systems can use to mitigate the detrimental effects of moral distress and foster moral resilience. On August 11 and 12, 2016, an invitational symposium, State of the Science: Transforming Moral Distress into Moral Resilience in Nursing, was held at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in Baltimore, Maryland. Forty-five nurse clinicians, researchers, ethicists, organization representatives, and other stakeholders took part. The result of the symposium was group consensus on recommendations for addressing moral distress and building moral resilience in four areas: practice, education, research, and policy. Participants and the organizations represented were energized and committed to moving this agenda forward.

An educational model for preparing Christian nurses and church congregations to offer local whole-person health programmes

The implications of the Tübingen declarations for congregational involvement in health provide the setting for this commentary. Using an example from the United Kingdom, where government health provision has become economically challenging and largely disease focused, the author demonstrates how it is possible to introduce the kind of education for nurses and congregations that will lead to them becoming important sources of whole-person health promotion. In this way, parish nurses and church congregations may make a distinctive contribution that will complement state and private health provision. This model has relevance across all Christian denominations. It is already being followed in 28 different countries, and with appropriate respect to culture, language and health policy, could be globally transferable.

Embracing Servant Leadership.

Carrie M. Dameron, MSN, RNBC, is an advanced certified medical-surgical nurse and Assistant Professor of Nursing at Ohlone College in Fremont, California. She is the author of www.nurses4him.org, a resource for Christian nurses. The author declares no conflict of interest.

Humility

Carrie M. Dameron, MSN, RNBC, is an advanced certified medical-surgical nurse and Assistant Professor of nursing at Ohlone College in Fremont, California. She is the author of www.nurses4him.org, a resource for Christian nurses. The author reports no conflict of interest.

NURSING FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

The importance of nursing as Christ would is vital for Christian nurses. At one Christian school of nursing, students are taught the concept of Kingdom Nursing: focused, dynamic, patient-centered care, inspired by the qualities of Christ and influenced by the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the nurse.

What Is Caring with Dignity?

Carrie M. Dameron, MSN, RNBC, is an advanced certified medical-surgical nurse and Assistant Professor of Nursing at Ohlone College in Fremont, California. She is the author of www.nurses4him.org, a resource for Christian nurses. The author reports no conflict of interest.

The Call to Excellence—No Room for Complacency

The call of the nurse is to promote, protect, and support health in all areas of life. Christian nurses are further called to imitate Jesus Christ. Yet, complacency is a common attitude among nurses. With new national standards of collecting and publicly reporting patient perceptions of care, positive nursing attitudes and excellent care are imperative to successful outcomes. What does it mean to seek professional excellence?

Moral Distress--New Way of Looking at an Old Problem?

Susan A. Salladay, PhD, RN, lives in southern Ohio. She teaches in the MSN program at Liberty University online and writes columns on nursing ethics for Nursing and Journal of Christian Nursing. The author declares no conflict of interest.