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Nurses’ models of spiritual care: A cross-sectional survey of American nurses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 July 2023

Rita Mascio Open the ORCID record for Rita Mascio [Opens in a new window] ,
Sandra Lynch ,
Jane L. Phillips ,
Annmarie Hosie  and
Megan Best Open the ORCID record for Megan Best [Opens in a new window]
Rita Mascio
Affiliation:
Institute of Ethics and Society, University of Notre Dame, Broadway, NSW, Australia
Sandra Lynch
Affiliation:
Institute of Ethics and Society, University of Notre Dame, Broadway, NSW, Australia
Jane L. Phillips
Affiliation:
School of Nursing, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Annmarie Hosie
Affiliation:
Palliative Care Nursing, University of Notre Dame, Broadway, NSW, Australia
Megan Best*
Affiliation:
Institute of Ethics and Society, University of Notre Dame, Broadway, NSW, Australia
*
Corresponding author: Megan Best; Email: megan.best@nd.edu.au
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Abstract

Objectives

Despite there being many models for how spiritual care should be provided, the way nurses actually provide spiritual care often differs from these models. Based on the premise that the way a person enacts their work role is related to how they understand that role, this study aims to describe the qualitatively different ways that nurses understand their spiritual care role.

Methods

A convenience sample of 66 American nurses completed an anonymous, online questionnaire about what spiritual care means for them and what they generally do to provide spiritual care. Their responses were analyzed phenomenographically.

Results

Four qualitatively different ways of understanding emerged: active management of the patient’s experience, responsive facilitation of patient’s wishes, accompaniment on the patient’s dying journey, and empowering co-action with the patient. Each understanding was found to demonstrate a specific combination of 5 attributes that described the spiritual care role: nurse directivity, the cues used for spiritual assessment, and the nurse’s perception of intimacy, the patient, and the task.

Significance of results

The findings of this study may explain why nurses vary in their spiritual care role and can be used to assess and develop competence in spiritual care.

Keywords

NurseSpiritual care modelsPhenomenographyCompetence
Type
Original Article
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , April 2024 , pp. 314 - 324
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press.

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