Spirituality in Nursing Practice

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Spirituality in Nursing Practice

• Kelly Barker
• Rachel Gallaher
• Chassie Turnbow
• Middle Tennessee State University

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What is Spirituality?

• Religion
• The institutionalization of like values,
  beliefs, and lifestyles amongst a shared group of
  people
• Spirituality
• a belief in and experience of a being or
  statethat transcends physical reality and
  provides direction, meaning and/or affirmation in
  ones life
• Spirituality is often forgotten or considered
  unimportant when it comes to patient care.

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What do Patients want?

• Research shows that 2/3 of patients would welcome
  questions regarding their spirituality during
  their health history.
• Research has also shown that when a patients
  spiritual needs are met they experience a greater
  quality of life.

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Spirituality An Intervention

• Our specific idea of a nursing intervention
  was to include spiritual assessment at the
  beginning of care, a continual assessment of
  spirituality throughout a plan of care, and
  participating with a patient in their spiritual
  care as personally needed. Examples of this
  would be participating in prayer with a patient.

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The Degree to Which Spiritual Needs of Patients
Near the End of Life are Met Carla Hermann
(2007)

• This study was a descriptive study of 100
  patients over six months in one inpatient and
  five outpatient hospices in the southeastern
  United States. Independent needs, such as
  prayer, were met at a high rate while needs that
  were dependent upon others, like attending
  religious services, were often unmet. 68 of the
  subjects rated their current life satisfaction
  lower than previous life satisfaction. Hermann
  firmly encourages the idea of participating with
  patients to meet their spiritual needs.

According to Hermann, Nurses must assess for
spiritual needs with an open mind and be able to
assist patients in exploring their needs from a
broad perspective.
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Effect of Spirituality on Successful Recovery
from Spinal Surgery Hodges, Humphreys, and Eck
(2002)

• 188 spinal surgery patients were asked to
  complete a visual analog pain scale (VAS) and the
  Oswestry functional capacity questionnaire (OSW)
  pre- and postoperatively.
• The results of the study found significant
  improvements in both VAS and OSW after surgery,
  but found no correlation between VAS, OSW and
  INSPIRIT there was no significance in outcome
  data related to patients spirituality.

Even though outcomes were not related to
patients spirituality, the researchers insist
that strong spirituality can provide the
patientwith the determinationto recover from
many illnesses. These beliefs should be
supported and encouraged by physicians.
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Israeli Oncology Nurses Religiosity, Spiritual
Well-Being, and Attitudes Toward Spiritual Care
A Path Analysis Musgrave and McFarlane (2004)

• This study examines demographic factors and the
  interceding variables of intrinsic and extrinsic
  religiosity, as well as spiritual well-being in
  Israeli oncology nurses attitudes towards
  patient care. 167 nurses revealed that their
  attitudes towards spiritual care were directly
  influenced by their own spiritual well-being.
  Musgrave et al. also fervently concluded that
  Only one of the antecedent factors education
  had a direct relationship with attitudes toward
  spiritual care.

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Recommendation Support of Intervention

• Regardless of the patient outcome, spirituality
  should be supported and encouragedsince they
  can only be beneficial to a patients recovery.
  - Hermann

• Hodges et al. revealed that the majority of
  patients want to discuss their spiritual needs
  during the medical history this same study also
  highlighted previous studies that proved
  increased levels of spirituality have numerous
  health benefits, such as lower blood pressure and
  less depression.
• Hermann indicated several spiritual activities
  that patients nearing the end of life would like
  incorporated into their care prayer, attending
  religious services, reading religious texts, and
  talking with someone about spiritual issues.
• Musgrave et al. disclosed that, Training was
  associated positively with attitudes toward
  spiritual care in oncology and hospice nurses.

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Recommendation Support of Intervention cont.

• The cost of incorporating spiritual education
  into a nursing program (or after graduation) is
  minimal and the benefits of such a program would
  far outweigh the costs. Also, nurses should
  constantly maintain cultural sensitivity
  regarding spiritual issues and support all
  patients regardless of their spiritual beliefs.
  Spiritual acceptance and discussion can be
  discussed at any time with anyone and only
  requires a few moments of time.

Education is the most critical aspect in the
ability to provide quality spiritual care.
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Implementing Change

• The primary way we would go about introducing our
  change is making spiritual education part of
  orientation to a new facility
• Another way of incorporating our plan is to
  include a Spirituality assessment box on the
  initial assessment to be included in their
  permanent record this would give patients a
  chance to voice how important spirituality is to
  their care and if there are any deficiencies that
  need to be met.
• Some employees will resist this change however,
  healthcare professionals need to keep in mind the
  holistic approach to patient care. No attempt at
  proselytization would be made. The primary
  concern is the patient and, as evidenced earlier,
  attempts to include spirituality in care are only
  beneficial.

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To Conclude

• Patient care is of the utmost importance.
  Anything that can be done to improve their
  quality of care should be done. Spiritual
  assessment, cultural and spiritual acceptance,
  education, and participation are ways that nurses
  can vastly improve a patients quality of care.

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References

• Armbruster, C.A., Chibnall, J.T., Legett, S.
  (2003). Pediatrician Beliefs About Spirituality
  and Religion in Medicine Assocations with
  Clinical Practice. Official Journal of the
  American Academy of Pediatrics, 111 (3), 227-235.
  Retrieved March 26, 2007, from the EBSCOHost
  database.
• Hermann, C.P. (2007). The Degree to Which
  Spiritual Needs of Patients Near the End of Life
  are Met. Oncology Nursing Forum, 34 (1), 70-78.
  Retrieved March 2, 2007, from the EBSCOHost
  database.
• Hodges, S.D., Humphreys C., Eck J.C. Effect of
  Spirituality on Successful Recovery from Spinal
  Surgery. Southern Medical Journal, 95.12 (Dec
  2002) 1381(4). InfoTrac OneFile. Thomson Gale.
  Middle Tennessee State University. Retrieved
  February 12, 2007.
• Musgrave, C.F., McFarlane, E.A. (2004).
  Israeli Oncology Nurses Religiosity, Spiritual
  Well-Being, and Attitudes Toward Spiritual Care
  A Path Analysis. Oncology Nursing Forum, 31 (2),
  321-327. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from the
  EBSCOHost database.