Spiritual Care Practices Research Articles

The use of islamic spiritual care practices among critically ill adult patients: A systematic review

Spiritual care is essential to the healthcare plans of critically ill patients and their families. However, spiritual care remains neglected and requires healthcare institutions and providers’ attention to be incorporated into healthcare management plans, especially for critically ill Muslim patients and their families. To date, no review has been conducted to discuss spiritual care in adult critical care Muslim patients. Spiritual care and Holy Quran recitation have been reported to be practical non-pharmacological interventions for critically ill Muslim patients. However, there is a need for Islamic healthcare institutions and providers to pay further attention to including spiritual care in the healthcare management plans of their patients. Also, future research is recommended to test the effectiveness of incorporating spiritual care in the healthcare plans of critical care patients.

Exploring cultural determinants to be integrated into preterm infant care in the neonatal intensive care unit: an integrative literature review

BackgroundCultural practices are an integral part of childrearing and remain a significant aspect for healthcare professionals to ensure culturally sensitive care, particularly in the neonatal intensive care unit.ObjectiveTo synthesise literature on the cultural determinants that can be integrated into care of preterm infants admitted into the neonatal intensive care unit.MethodsThe current review followed the integrative literature review steps proposed by Lubbe and colleagues. The registration of the review protocol was in PROSPERO. There was a literature search conducted in the EBSCOhost, PubMed, ScienceDirect and Scopus databases using the search string developed in collaboration with the librarian. Three reviewers employed a three-step screening strategy to screen the articles published in English between 2011 and 2021 that focused on culturally sensitive care. The Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Evidence critical appraisal toolkit assessed the methodological quality of the articles included at the full-text screening level.ResultsThere were 141 articles retrieved, and 20 included on the full-text screening level; the exclusion of one article was due to a low critical appraisal grade. Four topical themes emerged from 19 articles: spiritual care practices, intragenerational infant-rearing practices, infant physical care practices, and combining treatment practices.ConclusionOverall, the findings indicated that parental cultural beliefs and practices mostly influenced infant-rearing practices, emphasising the significance of integrating cultural practices when rendering healthcare services. The recommendation is that healthcare professionals understand various cultural determinants, mainly those specific to the community they serve, to provide culturally sensitive care.

Assessment of Spiritual Care Practices Among Nurses Caring for Cancer Patients in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria.

The importance of spirituality in health and wellness has been documented in the literature. While the developed countries have reported robust evidence of spirituality in nursing practices, there is scant evidence in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria. This study assessed the spiritual care practices of the nurses attending to cancer patients in a tertiary health institution in Ilorin. It further determined factors associated with spiritual caring practices among nurses. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2021 and December 2021 to assess spiritual care practices among nurses caring for cancer patients. During the study period, 66 nurses were recruited randomly from the hospital's medical and surgical clinics, palliative care department, and Obstetrics and Gynecology department. Twelve items validated Nurses' spiritual care practices questionnaire was adapted for this study. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23. The mean age of the respondents was 36.5 years ( + 10.1) while female respondents made up 83.3%. About 48% of the nurses had good spiritual caring practices while 52% had poor spiritual caring practices. Nurses with training in oncology (96%) with p = .001 and those with spirituality training (86.2%) with p = .017 showed significant association with spiritual care practices. This study concluded that spiritual care practices among nurses are sub-optimal with training as a significantly associated factor with spiritual care practices. It is, therefore, suggested that spiritual care practices should be incorporated into all nursing training and curriculum. This will allow them to better support the spiritual needs of the patients, especially those with chronic diseases like cancer.

Application progress of dignity therapy in spiritual care of cancer patients

Through systematic literature review, this paper summarizes the current situation of spiritual care needs of cancer patients, clarifies the outline and evaluation tools of dignity therapy, and expounds the research and clinical practice of dignity therapy in spiritual care of cancer patients at home and abroad, the aim of the study is to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical practice of spiritual care in the Chinese mainland.

Pistes d’avenir pour la recherche en spiritualité dans les milieux de santé

Alors que le nombre de publications au sujet de la spiritualité en milieu de santé croît de manière exponentielle, des pistes d’avenir de recherches spécifiques sont identifiées et justifiées, afin d’approfondir les fondements du spirituel en contexte de santé, de favoriser le travail interdisciplinaire au sujet de la spiritualité et de discerner et développer les pratiques professionnelles compétentes d’accompagnement spirituel dans une perspective de santé globale.

Van rechtvaardige oorlog tot vredesethiek

This article first of all shows how moral questions arise in spiritual care in the armed forces. The role of the chaplain is not neutral because part of it is opening up, explaining and articulating questions concerning the moral basis of military action. Next, it is examined how contemporary Protestant theological-ethical reflection on questions of war and peace can inform the practice of spiritual care. It is argued that both the just peace approach and the just war tradition as well as Christian pacifism have something to say to spiritual care, albeit in different ways and to varying degrees.

Spiritual nursing care knowledge, perception, and practice among nurses in secondary health care facilities in Osun State, Nigeria.

Objective: Spiritual care is an integral part of the nursing profession, but it is not typically considered a nursing task. This study examined the Nurses' knowledge, perceptions, and practices regarding spiritual care in Osun State's secondary health care facilities.Methods: It involved descriptive cross-sectional design. Using stratified random sampling techniques, 178 respondents from secondary health care facilities in Osun State were selected at random. Utilizing a pre-tested questionnaire, data were collected and analysed using descriptive statistics. To test the hypotheses, Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) (p0.05) was utilised.Results: The majority of respondents (69.4%) had inadequate knowledge of spiritual care, while 51.8% have a positive perception. Few (18.8%) applied spiritual care during practice. A significant and positive relationship existed between spiritual care knowledge and practice (r=.498; df= 168; p = 0.01); a positive relationship was also observed between spiritual care perception and practice (r=.552; df= 168; p= 0.00).Conclusion: The respondents' inadequate understanding of spiritual care is reflected in their perceptions and practices. Recommendation: improve spiritual nursing care education and continuously update the spiritual care knowledge of practicing nurses.

Association between spiritual care competency and perceived professional benefit among nurses: A cross-sectional study.

This study aimed to investigate the status quo of nurses' spiritual care competency and their relationship with perceived professional benefit. Spiritual care has always been considered a vitally important part of holistic nursing. Understanding the spiritual care competency of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic can help nursing managers understand the weak links in spiritual care practice and improve the quality of nursing service. As a positive emotional experience and cognitive evaluation of the profession, perceived professional benefit can serve to adjust work pressure, relieve job burnout and promote an individual's overall growth. However, the relationship between perceived professional benefit among nurses and spiritual care competency remains unclear. A total of 372 nurses were recruited from 15 separate Chinese hospitals. An online questionnaire was used to assess nurses' sociodemographic, spiritual care competency and perceived professional benefit. Statistical analyses were performed using Pearson's correlation analysis, t test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple stepwise linear regression analysis. The total mean score of spiritual care competency (99.43 ± 21.10) among nurses was found to be moderate. Nurses' spiritual care competency was positively correlated with perceived professional benefit (P < .01). The multiple stepwise linear regression model (n = 372) had an explained variance (R2 = 0.218) and showed that perceived professional benefit and the manner of receiving spiritual training were the main influencing factors of nurses' spiritual care competency (P < .001). The study findings indicated that nurses need to improve their spiritual care competency by improving their perceived professional benefit. Our study evaluated the spiritual care competency of nurses and explored the correlation between perceived professional benefit and spiritual care competency among nurses. The results of this study can help nursing managers to carry out relevant interventions, thus improving nurses' spiritual care competency and optimizing the quality of nursing.

Spiritual care in Australian general practice nursing: An interpretive descriptive study.

Spiritual care as an aspect of holistic or person-centered care has been well documented. Studies on spirituality and spiritual care in nursing have taken place in various countries and contexts. Studies about spiritual care from the nurse perspective in the primary healthcare setting of Australian General Practice are not evident. Using an interpretive description study design, data about views on spirituality, spiritual care experiences, and descriptions about any spiritual care provided were collected from eight practice nurses. Four themes were drawn from the findings: the personal importance of spirituality and spiritual care to nurses and patients, spiritual care as an aspect of person-centered care, spiritual care practices, and barriers and enablers to addressing spiritual needs. Participants identified that practice nurses require improved education about spirituality to adequately address spiritual needs as expressed by patients, as well as the tools to be able to provide spiritual care. They also identified that documentation templates used in general practice should include prompts to address spiritual and/or religious needs.

Building Spiritual Care Competency in Undergraduate Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Students: A Quality Improvement Project.

Purpose: The spiritual care of patients is often overlooked in health care as many nurses are unprepared to provide competent, holistic care that addresses patients' spiritual needs. Since undergraduate academic instruction prepares nurses for practice, innovative strategies that train pre-licensure nurses to care for the spiritual needs of patients are essential. Design: A course needs assessment identified spiritual care as the most deficient competency for undergraduate psychiatric students. A three-phase quality improvement project designed to increase student awareness and practice of spiritual care included (a) development of a quality improvement plan, (b) implementation, and (c) outcome evaluation. Methods: Spiritual care was introduced into the Spring 2020 semester through didactic content and experiential practice. Additionally, an evidence-based spiritual assessment tool (i.e., HOPE questions) was integrated into the course to train students for use in clinical and simulation. Surveys were used to compare the 2019 and 2020 cohorts. Findings: Results showed a statistically significant increase in students' perception of spiritual care competency after project completion. Conclusions: Future implications include the use of similar methods to improve spiritual care competency for pre-licensure nursing students. Keywords: Spiritual care, undergraduate nurse, spiritual assessment.

Implementing a Spiritual Care Subject for Holistic Nursing Practice: A Mixed Method Study.

Aim: The aims of this sequential explanatory mixed method study were twofold 1. Firstly, to evaluate the implementation of a spiritual care subject in a nursing program. 2. Secondly, to examine undergraduate nursing students' perceptions of providing spiritual care within their holistic care practice. Background: Studies conducted internationally indicate many nurses feel inadequately prepared to provide holistic care inclusive of spiritual care due to insufficient spiritual care education. Design: Two phase, sequential explanatory mixed method design which comprised of a quantitative study followed by a qualitative study. Methods: The setting was an Australian faith-based university. Participants comprised of undergraduate nursing students who were enrolled in a spiritual care subject. Findings: Two study findings emerged: 1. Participants' knowledge and practice of spiritual care were transformed by the spiritual care subject, and 2. The spiritual care subject broadened perceptions of spiritual care so participants viewed themselves more equipped to provide spiritual care in their holistic care provision. Conclusion: The spiritual care subject had an affirmative influence on participants' perceptions of providing spiritual care within holistic care practice. The findings have implications for nurse educators to consider how spiritual care content can be included within undergraduate nursing curricula.

Children and Climate Anxiety: An Ecofeminist Practical Theological Perspective

As awareness grows of global warming and ecological degradation, words such as “climate anxiety”, and “eco-anxiety” enter our vocabularies, describing the impact of climate change on human mental health and spiritual wellbeing. Distress over climate change disproportionately impacts children, who also are more susceptible to the broader health, economic, and social effects brought about by environmental harm. In this paper, I explore children’s vulnerability to climate change and climate anxiety through the lens of ecofeminist practical theology. Ecofeminism brings the liberatory concerns of feminist theologies into engagement with those theologies focused on the life of the planet. Drawing on ecofeminism, practical theology must continue and deepen its own ecological conversion, and practical theologies of childhood must take seriously the work of making an ecological home, oikos, in which children are embedded as a part of the wider ecology that includes the more-than-human world. This requires foregrounding religious education with children toward the inhabitance of the earth in good and just ways. However, these theologies also must address children’s lived realities of increased anxiety over planetary changes that endanger life through practices of spiritual care with children that engage and support them in their distress toward participatory empowerment for change.

Spiritual Care: A Description of Family Members' Preferences of Spiritual Care Nursing Practices in Intensive Care Units in a Private Hospital in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa.

Background: Spiritual care is a part of the holistic care that enables family members in intensive care units to find meaning in their life events and simultaneously bolsters their resilience and coping tools. Objective: To determine family members’ preferences of spiritual care practices that they require from nurses working in intensive care units. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in the intensive care units of a private hospital in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Data, using the Nurse Spiritual Therapeutic Scale, were collected from a purposive sample of family members (n = 47). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The mean overall Nurse Spiritual Therapeutic Scale was 58.4 (20–80). The most preferred and least preferred spiritual care practices by family members were “to be helped to have quiet time and space”, (M = 3.32, SD = 0.59) and “to arrange for a chaplain to visit them” (M = 2.70, SD= 0.91), respectively. Conclusion: The mean overall NSTS score indicated that there was a strong preference among family members for nurses to provide them with spiritual care in the intensive care units. However, due to the diversity of family members’ preferences it remains important that family members guide intensive care nurses in their spiritual care.

Spiritual Care Needs of Patients in Oncology Units and Nursing Practices in Turkey: A Qualitative Study.

This descriptive qualitative study was planned to determine the spiritual care needs of patients hospitalized in the oncology department and nursing care practices. Twenty-five patients and 15 nurses were interviewed. Concerning the spiritual care practices expected from nurses, the following themes were determined: Interest-Compassion, Smiling Face, Confidence, Being Informative, Morale, and Understanding. The themes for spiritual nursing practices were Chatting-Suggesting, Smiling Face, Giving Opportunities for Religious Practice, Love and Belonging, Giving Hope-Precedent Examples, and Giving Information. Patients expected nurses to ask about their spiritual needs. However, nurses did not ask about spiritual issues because they were afraid of affecting patients adversely.

Where and why do we lose women from the continuum of care in maternal health? A mixed-methods study in Southern Benin.

ObjectiveContinuum of care (CoC) in maternal health is built on evidence suggesting that the integration of effective interventions across pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period leads to better perinatal health outcomes. We explored gaps along the CoC in maternal health in Benin.MethodsA mixed‐methods study triangulating results from a qualitative study in southern Benin with a quantitative analysis of Benin Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) data on the use of services along the CoC was conducted.ResultsBenin Demographic and Health Survey analysis showed that although 89% of women reported at least one antenatal care (ANC) visit, only half initiated ANC in the first trimester and completed 4 or more visits. 85% reported facility‐based childbirth and 69% a postnatal check within 48 h after childbirth. Our qualitative study confirms early initiation of ANC and the transition from facility‐based childbirth to postnatal care are important gaps along the CoC and reveals late arrival at health facility for childbirth as an additional gap. These gaps interact with spiritual and alternative care practices that aim to safeguard pregnancy and prevent complications. Structural factors related to poverty and disrespectful care in health facilities compounded to limit the utilisation of formal healthcare.ConclusionsThe combined use of BDHS and qualitative data contributed to highlighting critical gaps along the maternal CoC. A lack of integration of spiritual or alternative aspects of care into biomedical services, as well as structural factors, impeded access to healthcare in Benin.

How the Military Context Shapes Spiritual Care Interventions by Military Chaplains.

Spiritual care interventions depend upon the context in which care is provided, its institutional setting and the actors involved. In order to understand the relationship between interventions in spiritual care and the context in which care is provided, we study the spiritual interventions of military chaplains against the background of the armed forces. In our study, we demonstrate that the military context needs its own conceptualization to understand the pastoral practices of military chaplains. This article uses a qualitative comparative methodology and is based upon 13 case studies that have been generated over the course of five years by a team of eight military chaplains within the framework of the Dutch Case Study Project. The analysis results in four concepts that describe the relationship between spiritual care practices and the context of the armed forces in more detail: structuring pastoral availability, positioning within the military environment, existential negotiation of being human and being a soldier and transforming military time. We conclude that the study of spiritual care in context leads to a contextualized understanding of spiritual care practices and stimulates comparison of pastoral care practices across contexts.

Self-Reported Spiritual Care among Moslem ICU Nurses in the Rural Area of Indonesia

Spiritual care is very important particularly for patients who are experiencing critical conditions. Although the priority of critical care is to maintain the function of the organ systems and to improve the patient's health condition, the patient's spiritual care should not be ignored. This study aimed to identify spiritual care practice among ICU Nurses at public hospitals in rural areas. This survey study used the NSCTS (Nursing Spiritual Therapeutics Scale) questionnaires to identify spiritual care in the ICU wards. This study involved 39 ICU nurses who work in the three public hospitals of Pekalongan Regency, Central Java Indonesia (Kajen Hospital, Kraton Hospital, and Bendan Hospital). Data were analyzed by using Microsoft excel. The result of this study revealed that the average spiritual care among ICU nurses is 3.79. In the context of the spiritual care item question, the highest mean score was "Offered to pray with a patient," whereas the lowest was "Documented spiritual care you provided in a patient chart." Despite the study limitation, this study encourages the ICU nurses to record the spiritual nursing care into nursing care sheets.

The Effect of COVID -19 Crisis on Hopelessness, Loneliness and Spiritual Well-Being of Patients with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes in Turkey

This study aims to examine the relationship between the levels of hopelessness, loneliness, and spiritual well-being of patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes during the process of COVID-19 outbreak. The study was carried out with diabetic patients living in three different cities that are in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey between the dates of 15 of November and 30 of November 2020. The sample of the study consisted of 500 (Type 1, n = 218, Type 2, n = 282) diabetes patients. Data were collected using a demographic information form, Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS), and Spiritual Well-being Scale (FACIT–Sp). While the mean scores of hopelessness and loneliness of type 1 patients were below the moderate level, the mean scores of their spiritual well-being were found to be above the moderate level. Moreover, while the mean scores of hopelessness and loneliness in type 2 patients were below the moderate level, the mean scores of their spiritual well-being were found above the moderate level. A significant relationship was found between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes patients' levels of hopelessness, loneliness, and spiritual well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak. It was found that as the spiritual well-being levels of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetic patients increased, the levels of their loneliness and hopelessness decreased. It is recommended that mass communication that includes spiritual care practices can be used effectively to reduce diabetes patients’ levels of loneliness and hopelessness during the pandemic. In addition, while providing care to diabetes patients, it can be suggested that health professionals offer a holistic approach with initiatives that will increase diabetes patients’ spiritual well-being.

The Diverse Spirit: Spiritual Care Perspectives and the Implications for Older Adults in Various Settings

Religiosity and spirituality are commonly supported and viewed as essential elements of well-being in old and very old age, particularly at end of life. These essential elements often include the exploration of the meaning in life, inner peace, belonging, contentment, and near-end-of-life-completion. The positive outcomes of religious and spiritual beliefs and practices have been well established. However, these experiences and related positive outcomes may not always include a diverse array of older adults. The spiritual care of older adults is becoming more culturally diverse and includes differing perspectives on what constitutes spiritual care, both in approach and practice. This symposium will explore the current state of spiritual care for older adults through a lens of cultural diversity and inter-religious/spiritual perspectives. A focus on the current practices of spiritual care for older adults and future implications will also be considered. Recommendations pertaining to future gerontological inquiry in the importance of spiritual care, as well as diverse approaches within gerontological practice will be highlighted and discussed.

The Relationship between the Fear of Covid-19, Depression, and Spiritual Well-Being in Pregnant Women.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between pregnant women's fear of coronavirus (COVID-19), depression, and spiritual well-being. This cross-sectional research was carried out with 336 pregnant women living in a city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey between the 1st of March and 30th of March 2021. For data collection, the scales of the Fear of COVID-19, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Spiritual Well-being were administered to the participants. The pregnant women’s fear of COVID-19 was found to be at a moderate level, their depression was at a mild level, and their spiritual well-being was above the moderate level. It was found that there was a significant negative correlation between the spiritual well-being levels of pregnant women and their fear of COVID-19 and depression. Moreover, it was also found that there was a significant positive correlation between pregnant women’s levels of fear of COVID-19 and depression (p < 0.001). It is recommended that relevant spiritual care practices can be disseminated and implemented effectively to reduce pregnant women’s fear and depression during the pandemic. In addition, when providing care to pregnant women, health professionals can adopt a holistic approach to increase pregnant women’s spiritual well-being.