Weaving the fabric of spirituality as experienced by patients who have undergone a coronary bypass surgery

Importance of spiritual care for cardiac patients admitted to coronary care units in the Gaza Strip: patients' perception

PURPOSE

This study aimed to assess the perception of hospitalized cardiac patients in coronary care units (CCUs) in the Gaza Strip about the importance of assessing and providing spiritual care to them.

DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional study.

METHODS

A valid and reliable instrument previously developed by Musa was used to assess patients' perception about the importance of assessing spiritual needs and providing spiritual care to cardiac patients admitted to CCUs.

FINDINGS

Out of 279 cardiac patients, 275 (response rate of 98.6%) agreed to be involved in this study. Results revealed that both assessing spiritual needs (69.69%) and providing spiritual care (76.97%) were very important to cardiac patients with rating spiritual care intervention as more important than spiritual assessment.

CONCLUSIONS

Assessing and providing spiritual care is crucial to cardiac patients. Therefore, health policy makers need to pay more attention to this group of vulnerable patients and need to adopt a spiritual care policy into the Palestinian health care system, which might help to decrease their stress, length of hospitalization, and the cost of treatment.

Nurses' and caregivers' definition of spirituality from the Christian perspective: a comparative study between Malta and Norway

AIM

The aim of this cross-sectional comparative exploratory study was to explore the term spirituality as defined by four groups of nurses and two groups of caregivers from Malta and Norway.

BACKGROUND

Spirituality is a complex subjective concept which may or may not contain religiosity. Several factors may influence the individual's interpretation with implications to nursing care and nursing management.

METHODS

Data were collected from six purposive samples using focus group discussions in Malta and Norway. The Taxonomy of Spirituality guided the study.

RESULTS

Four themes defined the term 'spirituality'. Two differences were found between Malta and Norway. Connectedness with family and nature was emphasized more by the Maltese group while the Norwegian group identified both the positive and the negative energies of spirituality.

IMPLICATIONS TO NURSING CARE AND NURSING MANAGEMENT

A clinical environment conducive to holistic care is needed. Inclusion of spirituality in the continuous professional development programmes may enhance understanding of spirituality and foster spiritual growth.

CONCLUSIONS

Irrespective of differences in cultures between Malta and Norway, commonalities were found in the definition and essence of spirituality in nursing care. Trans-cultural longitudinal research is recommended to explore further the definition of spirituality.

Psychology and Theology Meet

This descriptive exploratory study explored illness appraisal and spiritual coping of three groups of individuals with life-threatening illness. These were hospice clients with cancer (Ca; n = 10), clients with first myocardial infarction (MI; n = 6), and parents of children with cystic fibrosis (CF; n = 16). Qualitative data were collected by audiotaped face-to-face interviews (parents) and focus groups (MI and Ca). Similarities in illness appraisal and spiritual coping were found across the three groups except appreciation of crafts, which was found only in clients with Ca and causal meaning of parents (CF). Overall, illness was appraised negatively and positively, whereas spiritual coping incorporated existential and religious coping. These findings confirm the psychological theory (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and theological theory (Otto, 1950), which guided this study. Recommendations were proposed to integrate spirituality and religiosity in the curricula, clinical practice and to conduct cross-cultural comparative longitudinal research.

Connectedness in the nurse-patient relationship: a grounded theory study

What is that "special," meaningful relationship that nurse and patient sometimes share? A grounded theory study was undertaken to answer this question. Findings highlighted that the nurse-patient relationship (NPR) exists for the nurse to meet health needs of the patient. Ordinarily, these are biopsychosocial needs. However, at times patients present with needs emanating from deep within the person, which are deemed needs of the spirit. Under certain conditions with a nurse who is competent and willing, a process evolves, marked by meaningfulness, which not only meets these needs of the spirit but strongly impacts the nurse, the patient, or both, and promotes healing, growth, and comfort. This is connectedness in the NPR.

Mending Broken Hearts

This research synthesis analyzed research on spirituality in cardiac illness from 1991 to 2004 to identify progress, gaps, and priorities for research. Articles were retrieved from PubMed and CINAHL. Twenty-six studies met inclusion criteria. Moody's Research Analysis Tool, Version 2004, was used to analyze studies. Lack of conceptual model and universal definition of spirituality are major knowledge gaps. A proposed conceptual model is presented.

Developing a nursing perspective on spirituality and healing

The author of this column presents an overview of selected research and nursing theoretical thinking on spirituality and then offers a beginning exploration of the interrelationships of spirituality and healing. Work in both the totality and simultaneity paradigms is highlighted in the belief, following Nightingale, that spirituality and healing are crucial concepts in both paradigms, although currently defined differently if at all. Some nursing theorists give little or no attention to spirituality, while others such as Watson, Neuman, and Roy, in varying degrees, explicitly discuss the concept. Beginning theoretical conceptualizations have been offered in Rogers' science by, most notably, Reed, then Malinski and Smith. Healing and spirituality have been linked, although not necessarily in the same study. General directions for research using nursing theoretical frameworks and, in some cases, research methods derived from particular theories/models, are suggested.