Meaning Of Spiritual Care Research Articles

Hospice palliative care nurses' perceptions of spiritual care and their spiritual care competence: A mixed-methods study.

To understand hospice palliative care nurses' (HPCNs) perceptions towards spiritual care and their competence to provide spiritual care. Previous research has shown that many nurses lack a clear understanding of the concept of spirituality and feel inadequately prepared to assess patients' spiritual needs. Studies on competence in spiritual care are mostly descriptive, and the evidence for improving it is limited. A mixed-methods research design was used. Quantitative data were collected from 282 nurses in forty hospice palliative care (HPC) institutions in South Korea and analysed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni test and multiple regression. Qualitative data collection involved two stages: first, an open-ended question posed to 282 nurses, and second, focus group interviews conducted with six HPC experts. Both qualitative data sets were analysed separately using content analysis. This study followed the GRAMMS guidelines. Of the six dimensions of spiritual care competence (SCC), the mean scores were highest in 'attitude towards the patient's spirituality' and 'communication', whereas the 'assessment and implementation of spiritual care' and 'professionalisation and improving the quality of spiritual care' had the lowest mean scores. Through content analysis, 4 themes regarding the meaning of spiritual care, 3 themes regarding requirements for spiritual care and 2 themes regarding preparedness for spiritual care were revealed. They perceived the needs of the understanding of spiritual care based on the attributes of spirituality, the education in systematic assessments and implementation for spiritual care with standardised terminology, and the opportunity to reflect on nurses' own spirituality. Practical SCC training for HPCNs and the subsequent development of clinical practice guidelines are of vital importance. The results of this study provide a useful resource to develop educational programmes for strengthening the SCC of nurses and the entire HPC team.

Content Analysis of the Meaning of Spiritual Care as Perceived by Nursing Students.

This study aimed to describe the meaning of spiritual care as perceived by nursing students. This study used a descriptive research design, and the participants were 126 fourth-year nursing students from three nursing colleges. Data were collected from August to September 2019, and were analyzed using the content analysis method. Four themes of spiritual care with 15 sub-themes were extracted from the content analysis 1) "promoting spiritual well-being" (sub-themes "providing religious help", "caring for the patient as a spiritual being", and "presupposing human dignity regardless of religion"); 2) "taking place in actual nursing practice" (representative sub-themes "considering the perspective of the patient", "reducing suffering"); 3) "caring for the multifaceted needs of human beings" (representative sub-themes "providing physical, mental, and spiritual care", "caring for both the mental and physical health of the patient"), and 4) "growing together" (sub-themes "positively affecting patient well-being", "beginning with the nurse's self-transcendence"). These results suggest that nursing students consider spiritual care to be a highly positive and practical form of nursing care. However, because few students have been exposed to religion and spirituality, more systematic training should be provided.

Re: Clinical Pastoral Education: A Physician’s Experience and Reflection on the Meaning of Spiritual Care in Palliative Care

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) has become a well-known trademark in healthcare chaplaincy. Not only does the program serve the educational needs of those in the health care chaplaincy profession, but CPE has become a program model for schools that offer Supervised Ministry programs (practicum); however, a keen review of the juxtaposition of the CPE curriculum with its corporate identity reveals inconsistency and disparity. A logical conclusion: this calls for a change to the corporate or program name.

Meaning of Spiritual Care

Spiritual care is an essential component in nursing practice and strongly influenced by the sociocultural context. This article aimed to elucidate the meaning of nurses' experiences of giving spiritual care in southeast of Iran. A phenomenological hermeneutic approach influenced by Ricoeur was used. Eleven staff nurses who were currently working in the 3 major hospitals under the umbrella of the Kerman University of Medical Sciences were interviewed. The meaning of spiritual care was comprehensively understood as meeting patient as a unique being. This can be divided into 3 themes: meeting patient as a being in relationship, meeting patient as a cultural being, and meeting patient as a religious being. The results in this study suggest that education about spirituality and spiritual care should be included in the continuous and in-service education of registered nurses. Spiritual and cultural assessment criteria should be included in this education to improve the provision of holistic care.

Tanzanian Nurses Understanding and Practice of Spiritual Care

Spirituality, as a basic characteristic of humans and a contributor to human health, is regarded as part of nursing practice. The purpose of this study was to examine how Tanzanian nurses understand spirituality and spiritual care. Using the qualitative method of interpretive description, fifteen registered nurses engaged in clinical practice in a Tanzanian hospital were recruited to participate in this study. In-depth interviews using open-ended questions were carried out, tape-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Data collection and inductive analysis occurred concurrently. In this paper, key findings are grouped under the following headings: meaning of spiritual care, recognition of spiritual needs, and interventions to respond to spiritual needs. Although there were some differences, overall participants' understanding of spirituality and spiritual care was similar to what is found in the literature about nurses in other countries. The provision of spiritual care also included some unique elements that may reflect the African context.

What’s so big about the ‘little things’: A phenomenological inquiry into the meaning of spiritual care in dementia

Although it is widely accepted that spirituality is an important aspect of health and healing in long term care, its meaning and day-to-day implications remain poorly understood. This study explored the meaning of spiritual care from the perspectives of patients living with moderate to severe dementia, their families and their care providers. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, open-ended interviews were conducted in a dementia care unit with 29 participants, including patients, families, RNs, LPNs, and hospital chaplains. Interviewees were asked to share their stories and insights about spiritual care in dementia. Using hermeneutic analysis, the central theme of ‘little things’ was identified. Recognition and attendance to ‘little things’ promoted patients’ sense of personhood and connectedness to self and others. Barriers to spiritual care in dementia were also identified. These findings inform our understanding about effective relational approaches in spiritual care with this unique population.

Spiritual care as a dimension of holistic care: a relational interpretation

This article reports on a phenomenological study undertaken to explore the meaning of spiritual care as described by a group of palliative care professionals. The research process was informed by van Manen's (1990) hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Eight palliative care professionals (nurses, complementary therapists and pastoral carers) were recruited from a community palliative care agency in Melbourne, Victoria, which provided home-based palliative care. All participants were female and came from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Data were collected by in-depth conversational interviews and were analyzed thematically. Two themes emerged: 'a living nexus between spiritual care, spirituality and holism' and 'a world of relationships'. The findings of the study point to the need for healthcare professionals to incorporate spiritual care guidelines into practice in order for palliative care to be truly representative of holistic health care.

Concept Analysis of Spiritual Care

The purpose of this study was to identify attributes of the concept of spiritual care. Walker and Avant's concept analysis framework was employed to review the clinical guidelines, nursing text books, and nursing research articles which were related to spiritual care and published from 1985 to 2005. The attributes of the concept of spiritual care were a three stage process such as spiritual assessment, spiritual intervention, and spiritual evaluation. Spiritual care included three dimensions of relationships such as transpersonal, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. The quality of spiritual care was dependent upon characteristics of care-givers such as perception and knowledge of spiritual care, and the clinical environment. The antecedents of spiritual care was spiritual needs due to the prompt events. The consequence of spiritual care was spiritual well-being. This concept analysis of spiritual care contributed to promote performance of spiritual care in clinical fields by removing conceptual ambiguity and confirming the true meaning of spiritual care.

Clinical pastoral education: a physician's experience and reflection on the meaning of spiritual care in palliative care.

In this article a physician reflects on her experience as a chaplain intern and how this Clinical Pastoral Education experience led to a deeper understanding of spiritual care in the palliative setting.

The meaning of spiritual care in a pediatric setting

In the previous issue of the Journal of Pediatric Nursing, one type of evidence-based practice (EBP) format was provided for potential nurse scholars who utilize the EBP process [MacPhee, M. (2002). Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 17(4);313-20]. There are, however, many potential formats to present evidence-based clinical practice innovations. I am eager to work with nurses who have been involved in promoting evidence-based nursing practice. The Journal of Pediatric Nursing will use this column as a forum for sharing evidence-based clinical practice innovations, such as case studies, clinical teaching exemplars, and interdisciplinary programs highlighting collaborative practice among nurses and other health care professionals. Please contact me at maura80521@yahoo.com for editorial advice and assistance. The following article is a clinical contribution from a nurse on the Neurosurgery-Rehabilitation Unit of The Children's Hospital, Denver. This evidence-based clinical project evolved from a nurse's recognition of the importance of spiritual care for families of children with serious brain injuries. It is an example of how an EBP formula can facilitate change and innovation. Start with a clinical problem; get help; look to the rature for best research evidence; look to other clinical sources for best practice ideas; evaluate what you have; and make a decision to maintain the status quo, gather more data, or change practice. This clinical project is an example of the collaborative, interdisciplinary nature of EBP, and it is also an example of the collaborative work among differently skilled nurses. In this instance, a clinically based nurse identified a practice problem and recruited a nurse researcher to help design, analyze, and evaluate the findings from an interview study. The results are being implemented via nursing leadership to change practice.—Maura MacPhee, RN, PhD, Associate Editor Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.