Spiritual Care Support Perception and Spiritual Care Competence of Nursing Students in Turkey: A Quasi-Experimental Study

This study aimed to assess the spiritual care support perception and spiritual care competence of nursing students, and the effect of a spiritual care course on their perceptions and competence in this regard. The study was conducted within the Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing located in the south of Turkey. Data were collected through the Descriptive Characteristics Form, Spiritual Support Perception Scale, and Spiritual Care Competence Scale. The results of this study show that; there was a significant difference between the total spiritual care competence scale score averages of the control group students and the experimental group students. There was a significant difference between the total spiritual support perception scale score averages of the control group students and the experimental group students. Based on this study, it is recommended to further extend this study by adding spiritual care course content to the curriculum for junior and senior students to reveal the differences between the years, and to evaluate the knowledge of the students.

Family Self-Support in Managing Down Syndrome Children: A Qualitative Study

Background and Aim. Down syndrome (DS) is the most common reason for disabilities caused by genetic disorders. Due to the special nature of this disease and the special needs of children with Down syndrome, they are required to receive their families' support. Therefore, the recognition of their problems and needs and also the alternatives for resolving them and promoting their life quality are very useful. Also, since very limited qualitative studies have been conducted, it seems necessary to design a qualitative study. Method. This qualitative study was conducted by the content analysis method and through purposeful sampling method with the participation of 26 participants including 15 mothers, 6 fathers, 3 sisters, and 2 brothers of DS children in 2022-2023. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Findings. Using the content analysis method of Graneheim and Lundman (2004), the main theme was "Family self-supporting in protecting Down syndrome children." The subthemes were seven including "trying to find information-support resources," "Giving importance to child's health," "religious beliefs of the family," "child moral education, helping to child's relative self-support," "developing familial support," and "developing child's social interactions." Conclusion and Recommendations. The findings of this study showed that family is the main source of fulfilling the needs of children and their life challenges through using efficient self-support methods. This study introduced family self-support methods in terms of DS children in a way that other families can also manage the problems of their children more efficiently. The present study can be used by trustees of DS to support them and their families. Considering the existence of many problems in children with Down syndrome and the involvement of families, it is suggested that policymakers and community health managers provide the basis for receiving services and social support. For example, it is possible to strengthen the screening systems in the country to diagnose the disease on time and take quick action to solve this problem. Also, by increasing the health insurance coverage and fair distribution of the support resources needed by these people, it promoted the quality of life for them and their families. Also, health policymakers in Iran can take action to increase life expectancy and reduce deaths caused by DS by improving the equitable distribution of health resources and services. Also, public policies should enhance supportive intermediation for prevention and life quality promotion and also decrease health challenges. They are also supposed to lessen the costs of health care. Furthermore, to support social organizations, health service providers and researchers should consider the development of intermediations for the health enhancing and life quality promoting of DS children.

Competence and perceptions of spiritual care among clinical nurses: A multicentre cross-sectional study

AIMS

To identify latent profiles of competence and perceptions of spiritual care among clinical nurses and explore the possible influencing factors.

BACKGROUND

Understanding nurses' level of spiritual care competence and their perceptions and acceptance of such care is important, which could help devise nurse training programmes to address such competence in clinical nurses. However, research addressing interindividual variability in competence and perceptions among Chinese nurses is lacking.

DESIGN

Multicentre cross-sectional study.

METHODS

Nurses working in departments with critically ill patients from 12 community, 5 secondary and 10 tertiary hospitals in Shanghai completed a demographic information questionnaire and the Chinese versions of the Spiritual Care Competence Scale, Spiritual Care-Giving Scale and Spiritual Perspectives Scale. The data were analysed using IBM SPSS v26.0 and Mplus version 8.3. Latent profile analysis identified subgroups with different levels of spiritual care competence.

RESULTS

In total, 1277 Chinese nurses were recruited. Four profiles of competence and perceptions of spiritual care were revealed: Low ability (23.8%), High ability (6.4%), High acceptance (34.9%) and Moderate (34.9%). The level of job position, spiritual care-related education, hospital grade and nurses' perceptions and perspectives of spiritual care predicted the probability of profile memberships in their competence.

CONCLUSIONS

There was heterogeneity in the characteristics of spiritual care competence. Nursing managers can implement individualised interventions, including relevant training, according to the influencing factors of different competence profiles to improve the level of such competence among nurses.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The results provide a new and expanded view of improving nurses' spiritual care competence. Interprofessional collaboration with clinicians, administrators, educators and spiritual leaders can contribute to the development of related education and training.

REPORTING METHOD

EQUATOR guidelines, STROBE checklist: cross-sectional studies.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

All participants were clinical nurses. Participants were informed they could withdraw from the study at any time.

The impact of a nursing spiritual care module on nursing competence: an experimental design

PURPOSE

This study aimed to assess the impact of the Nursing Spiritual Care Module on the competence of nurses in providing spiritual care in the context of Malaysia.

METHOD

This study employed an experimental design and involved a total of 122 nurses, with 59 in the experimental group and 63 in the control group. Participants were selected from palliative care wards associated with Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. Nurses in the experimental group underwent a two-week educational module on nursing spiritual care, while nurses in the control group attended a single lecture on spiritual care provided by the hospital.

RESULTS

The results indicated no significant differences in sociodemographic characteristics between the two groups. A significant difference in spiritual care competence within the intervention group and the control group over time (p-value = 0.001), between the two groups (p-value = 0.038), and in the interaction between time and group (p-value = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The Nursing Spiritual Care Module is crucial in aiding nurses and healthcare professionals in cultivating the appropriate and wholesome attitudes and practices necessary to address the spiritual needs of patients.

Spiritual care competency and its relationship with clinical self-efficacy in nursing students

BACKGROUND

Spiritual care occupies a special place in holistic care and improving the quality of services provided to patients. The component of clinical self-efficacy is recognized as a prerequisite for clinical capacity and competency. The current study determined the level of spiritual care competency and its relationship with clinical self-efficacy in nursing students.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 194 nursing students studying in medical sciences universities in Yazd, Iran, who were selected by convenient sampling. Data collection tools were a spiritual care competency scale and nursing students' clinical self-efficacy questionnaire. The gleaned data were analyzed by SPSS20 using descriptive and inferential statistics.

RESULTS

The mean scores of spiritual care competency and clinical self-efficacy of students were 70.29 ± 9.58 and 102.40 ± 21.57, respectively. The results of Pearson's correlation coefficient test showed that clinical self-efficacy had a positive significant correlation with spiritual care competency (p = 0.04, r = 0.14). The mean score of spiritual care competency was higher in female students (71.10 ± 9.81) than male students (67.50 ± 8.23) with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). The regression test results suggested that clinical self-efficacy can be considered as a predictor of spiritual care competency.

CONCLUSION

The results revealed that spiritual care competency in nursing students was at an average level, and the higher the level of clinical self-efficacy is, the more developed the spiritual care competency will be. Thus, nursing educators and health system managers should pay special attention to improving the clinical self-efficacy of nursing students to develop their spiritual care competency.

Palliative care and spiritual care competency measurement among Turkish Nurses: A scale adaptation study

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to conduct a Turkish validity and reliability study of the Palliative Care Spiritual Care Competency Scale.

METHODS

The sample of the study consisted of 354 nurses. In the first stage, the forward-backward translation method was used to develop the Turkish version of the Palliative Care Spiritual Care Competency Scale. The comprehensibility, purposefulness, cultural appropriateness, and discrimination of the scale items were evaluated with content validity. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was applied to examine the construct validity of the scale. To evaluate the ability of the scale to give consistent results at different time intervals, the relationship between the scores obtained from the first and second applications was examined with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The reliability of the scale was evaluated with the Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient and item-total score correlation coefficients.

RESULTS

The content validity index of the Palliative Care Spiritual Care Competency Scale was found to be 0.98 after expert opinion was obtained. The goodness-of-fit values of the scale were χ2/sd: 3.125; GFI: 0.915; AGFI: 0.875; IFI: 0.926; TLI: 0.905; CFI: 0.925; RMSEA: 0.078; SRMR: 0.054. As a result of CFA, some items were removed from the scale, and a Turkish version of the scale consisting of 14 items and three sub-dimensions was developed. The reliability of the scale over time was evaluated with the test-retest method, and it was found that the inter-response agreement was very good (ICC: 0.981; p < 0.001). The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of the scale was 0.89 and the Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of the subscales ranged between 0.78 and 0.85.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

It was determined that the Turkish version of the Palliative Care Spiritual Care Competency Scale is a short, easy-to-understand, and psychometrically sound measurement tool that can be safely applied to Turkish nurses.

Spiritual care competence, moral distress and job satisfaction among Iranian oncology nurses

BACKGROUND

Nurses have a crucial role in identifying spiritual needs and providing spiritual care to patients living with cancer.

AIM

This study evaluated Iranian oncology nurses' spiritual care competence and its relationship with job satisfaction and moral distress.

METHOD

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 280 Iranian oncology nurses in 2020 using four questionnaires: demographic questionnaires, the Spiritual Care Competence Questionnaire (SCCQ), the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) and the nurses' Moral Distress Questionnaire (MDS-R).

FINDINGS

The mean scores indicated a medium to high Spiritual Care Competence (SCC), mild to moderate moral distress and high job satisfaction. There was a positive correlation between SCC and external job satisfaction (r=184, p<0.05) and a negative correlation between SCC and moral distress (r=-0.356, p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

SCC diminishes with decreasing external job satisfaction and increasing moral distress. To improve the SCC of nurses working with patients living with cancer, it is recommended that nursing managers and policymakers revise the organisational policies to tackle the obstacles and consider the related factors to provide an ethical climate, implement quality spiritual care and increase job satisfaction.

Nurses' experiences of the role of organizational and environmental factors in the development of love of the profession: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Love of the profession has significant relationship with nurses' job motivation and care quality. However, there is limited information about organizational and environmental factors affecting love of the profession among nurses.

AIM

This study aimed at exploring nurses' experiences of the role of organizational and environmental factors in the development of love of the profession.

METHODS

This qualitative study was conducted in 2020-2021 using the conventional content analysis approach. Participants were Fifteen Iranian nurses with deep love of the profession, nursing instructors, and nursing managers purposefully selected from different healthcare and academic settings in seven large cities of Iran. Data were gathered via semi-structured interviews and were analyzed via the conventional content analysis method proposed by Graneheim and Lundman.

RESULTS

Organizational and environmental factors affecting the development of love of the profession were grouped into three main categories: The social context of the profession (with two subcategories), family support (with two subcategories), and organizational health (with four subcategories). Subcategories were respectively historical context of the profession, the evolving context, emotional family support, instrumental family support, quality of interpersonal relationships in the organization, level of organizational justice, level of authority delegation to nurses, and level of organizational support.

CONCLUSION

Different organizational and environmental factors can affect nurses' love of the profession development. Improving public image of nursing, providing nurses with stronger support, improving organizational climate, and strengthening interpersonal relationships in healthcare settings are recommended to develop nurses' Love of the profession.

The correlation between spiritual care competence and spiritual health among Iranian nurses

Background

Considering the importance of spiritual aspects of human beings, spiritual care provision is increasingly recognized as a major duty of healthcare providers, particularly nursing staff. Spiritual care competence is necessary for the nurses to be able to provide spiritual care, but the competence itself is associated with other variables. This study aimed to investigate if the spiritual care competence of nurses is related to their spiritual health.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted with the participation of 172 practicing nurses in hospitals affiliated with Qom University of Medical Sciences, selected through stratified random sampling. Participants completed the Persian versions of the Spiritual Health Questionnaire (Amiri) and the Spiritual Care Competence Scale (Van Leeuwen). To examine the correlation between nurses’ spiritual health and spiritual care competence, a Spearman coefficient was used and a linear regression analysis was done to determine the predictability of the spiritual care competence of the nurses. The data were analyzed using SPSS v.23 and the significance level was set at 0.05.

Results

The participants showed a mean (SD) score of 108.93 (19.04) on spiritual care competence and 213.38 (16.49) on spiritual health. Spiritual care competence of nurses showed no significant relationship with demographic characteristics and their spiritual health had a significant relationship with gender only. Correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between spiritual health and spiritual care competence and their subscales. Moreover, the linear regression analysis indicated that the nurses’ performance regarding spiritual health can predict their spiritual care competence.

Conclusion

The study revealed that the spiritual care competence of nurses is correlated with their spiritual health and performance as a subscale of spiritual health can predict their spiritual care competence. Thus, it can be concluded that the spiritual health of nurses is an important factor in providing spiritual care for patients and meeting their spiritual needs.

The relationship between nurses' perceptions and competency about spiritual care and influencing factors

PURPOSE

This study aims to investigate the relationship between nurses' perceptions and their competences in spiritual care and influencing factors.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This correlational study was conducted with 700 nurses. The Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS) was used to determine nurses' spirituality perceptions. The Spiritual Care Competence Scale (SCCS) was used to evaluate the nurses' spiritual care competence.

FINDINGS

The study results show a significant relationship between the mean item scores of the SSCRS and the SCCS (r = 0.264, p < 0.01).

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The nurses' perceptions were high, but their competency in spiritual care was at a medium level.

Nursing Students' Professional Competence in Providing Spiritual Care in Iran

Providing spiritual care as a dimension of holistic nursing care is a task that requires competent caregivers. The present study seeks to examine the relationship of personal characteristics with perceived competence in Iranian nursing students and their professional competence in providing spiritual care. This cross-sectional study was conducted on all the nursing students at Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran, using the census method (n = 224). The research sample consisted of 179 students who met the eligibility criteria. Data were collected using the Spiritual Care Competence Scale (SCCS). The mean SCCS score for respondents was 3.66. Using the cutoff point of >3.5, approximately three quarters of respondents (72.1%) perceived themselves to be competent in delivering spiritual care. The scores of competence and its domains were not significantly different in terms of history of participation in ethics training workshops, gender and marital status (P > 0.05). The scores were also not significantly correlated with age, semester and work experience. Although more than 70% of the nursing students perceived themselves competent in providing spiritual care, nursing curriculum planners should seek to promote the spiritual capacity and competence of nursing students in providing spiritual care through education and training.

Spiritual Care Competence of Nurses

Background Health care has become more patient centered, and spiritual care has become more critical during the past several decades because researchers have identified associations between met spiritual needs and positive health outcomes. This study investigated nurses' spiritual care competence. Method A cross-sectional, descriptive research design was used. The study sample consisted of 201 nurses of a training and research hospital. Data were collected using a sociodemographic characteristics questionnaire and the Spiritual Care Competence Scale (SCCS). Results The participants had a mean age of 27.62 ± 5.28 years. They had a mean SCCS score of 3.88 ± 0.50. Three factors affected participants' spiritual care competence. First, head nurses had a higher mean SCCS score than nurses (4.16 ± 0.26 vs. 3.87 ± 0.50). Second, participants who met patients' spiritual care needs had a higher mean SCCS score than those who could not (4.02 ± 0.54 vs. 3.09 ± 1.12). Third, participants who could diagnose patients for spiritual care had a higher mean SCCS score than those who could not (p < .05). Conclusion These nurses had above-average spiritual care competence. Universities and health care institutions should provide nurses with training to help them develop spiritual care competence. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(5):225-231.].

Competencies of nursing students in the provision of spiritual care and the factors affecting spiritual caregiving

PURPOSE

Nursing care is a holistic practice that contains biological, psychological, sociological, and spiritual elements. Spiritual care is also one of the core aspects of a holistic care approach, The provision of optimal spiritual care requires a good understanding of the issue by nurses. The present study determines the competencies of nursing students in spiritual care and the status of spiritual caregiving.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The study has a descriptive, cross-sectional, and qualitative research method of answers to follow-up questions. The study was conducted with 468 nursing students who are 1-4 years in a BSN program in Turkey. Personal information form, semi-structured interview form, Spiritual Caregiving Scale, and Spiritual Care Competence Scale were used for the collection of data.

FINDINGS

The average scores recorded by the participants in the Spiritual Caregiving and Spiritual Care Competence Scales were 145.60 ± 20.63 (the perception of spirituality and spiritual care is moderate-high) and 102.92 ± 15.67 (the competence of the nurse in spiritual care is moderate-high), respectively. It was found that nearly half of the respondent students had never heard of the concept of spiritual care, nor did they have any knowledge of such care, and almost none had undergone training in this subject.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Important to add spiritual care to the nursing curriculum as a separate course or subject, and to raise awareness of students through applied teaching methods.

Professional quality of life and perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care among nurses: Relationship and affecting factors

PURPOSE

This study aims to determine the relationship of nurses' perception of spirituality and spiritual care to the dimensions of professional quality of life, namely, nurses' compassion fatigue, burnout and compassion satisfaction, and identify the influencing factors, respectively.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The population consisted of 316 nurses (response rate: 91.32%) working in various clinics of a Training and Research Hospital (gynecology, pediatrics, surgery, internal medicine and emergency service) between December 2018 and May 2019. Data was collected through the Socio-Demographic Form, The Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), and Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS).

FINDINGS

A meaningful relationship between SSCRS and ProQOL's "burnout" and "compassion fatigue" subscales was granted (p < 0.001). In particular, the comparison of ProQOL subscales to SSCRS's "spirituality/spiritual care" and "religiosity" subscales revealed a negative and strong relationship (p < 0.01) while SSCRS's "personalized care" subscale yielded a very strong positive relationship (p < 0.001). The nurses' professional quality of life was affected by variables such as "monthly number of shifts," "manner of work," and "average weekly working hours." It was determined that burnout was experienced at a higher level, whereas compassion fatigue at a moderate level. In terms of spirituality and spiritual care, the subscale mean scores for "spirituality/spiritual care," "personalized care," and "religiosity" were low.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

In light of the research findings, the charge nurses and nursing managers should oversee variables such as monthly income, monthly number of shifts, average weekly working hours at all times in the context of spiritual care and professional quality of life. Institution managers need to be competent in the prioritization of employee requests, planning the number of employees taking into account the ratio of nurse/patient/clinic capacity. Institution managers should familiarize themselves with notions such as compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction and spiritual care to plan and sustain the activities of the institution while overwatching the needs of her/his employees along the way. Nurses could also benefit from counseling services and in-service training programs contemplating sociodemographic and profession related variables that affect spiritual care and professional quality of life.

Nurse’s spiritual care competence in Ethiopia: A multicenter cross-sectional study

Background

Many health care professionals emphasize that spirituality is an important factor in overall health. Although spiritual practices are vital to health, spirituality has received little emphasis in nursing. Hence, the study’s purpose has been to evaluate the current state of spiritual care competence and the factors that influence it among nurses in Southwest Ethiopia.

Methods

From July 1 to 20, 2021, nurses at five hospitals in southwest Ethiopia were enrolled in a facility-based cross-sectional study. The study subjects were chosen using a systematic random sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was undertaken to gather the data. Epi Data 3.1 was used to code the dataset, and SPSS version 25 was used for analysis. To identify factors associated with spiritual care competence, researchers performed bivariate and multivariable linear regression analyses. The significance level was set at p<0.05.

Results

Three hundred sixty-seven nurses attended in the study, giving a 91.06, percent rate of response. The mean spiritual care competence score among healthcare professionals was 3.14±0.74. Age (p<0.05), and training in spiritual care (p<0.05) were significantly associated with spiritual care competence.

Conclusions

Spiritual care competence was moderate among the nurses. Spiritual care competence varies in accordance with a number of factors, including age, and training in spiritual care. Nurses are better suited to focus on the spiritual health of clients, which necessitates the provision of spiritual care competence training for nurses.

Perceived spiritual care competence and the related factors in nursing students during Covid-19 pandemic

Background

Spirituality is defined as the way people experience, express, and seek meanings. It is a major concept in the field of nursing care. Nursing students who are trained and exposed to patients' spiritual care will be better able to take care of their patients' spiritual needs.

Objectives

The study aimed to assess perceived spiritual care competence and the related factors in nursing students during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study. The participants were 191 undergraduate nursing students at Guilan University of Medical Sciences (GUMS) that were entered into the study from July 29 to December 21, 2021. The spiritual care competence scale was used to measure spiritual care competence in the participants. It is a 27-item questionnaire with six dimensions including assessing and implementing spiritual care, professionalism and improving the quality of spiritual care, personal support and patient counseling, referral to professionals, attitude towards patient's spirituality, and communication. Data was collected using the convenience sampling method. Data analysis was done by SPSS software version 16.0 using descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate methods.

Results

The mean total score of spiritual care competency was 106.8 (SD = 13.4). The mean total score of spiritual care competency was significantly higher in the native students (P = 0.031) and the students with experience of jobs in hospitals (P = 0.037).

Conclusion

The findings indicated an acceptable level of performance in nursing students in spiritual care during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Competence in providing spiritual care and its relationship with spiritual well-being among Iranian nurses

BACKGROUND

Competence in providing spiritual care to patients has become an increasingly important aspect of nursing care delivery. However, studies on nurses' competence in spiritual care delivery and the factors affecting it are very limited. The present study was conducted to evaluate Iranian nurses' competence in providing spiritual care and its relationship with their Spiritual Well-Being.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present study is descriptive-analytical research conducted in Bam in the south of Iran between 2016 and 2017. All nurses working in the teaching hospitals affiliated with Bam University of Medical Sciences were invited to participate in the study. For data collection, the Spiritual Care Competence Scale (SCCS) and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) were used. Collected data were then analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation), Pearson correlation coefficient, independent t-test, and one-way ANOVA with SPSS software.

RESULTS

In this study, 158 nurses were participated. The result showed that the mean score SCCS and SWBS were 101 ± 12.6, 76.92 ± 13.4, respectively. Pearson correlation test showed a significant and direct relationship between the mean score of SCCS and SWBS (P = 0.001, r = 0.264). The results of this test also showed a significant relationship between all the dimensions of SCCS and SWBS (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, the nurses had a relatively appropriate competence in providing spiritual care to patients. There was also a significant relationship between the nurses' spiritual care competency and their spiritual well-being. Given the lack of adequate studies in spiritual care delivery competencies, it is recommended that similar studies are conducted among nurses in other parts of the country and worldwide.

The Effect of Spiritual Counseling on Hope in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background:

Spiritual practices have recently emerged as beneficial to both mental and physical health. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of spiritual counseling on hope among patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Methods:

This single blind randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on the patients with MS in April-June 2020, Kashan, Iran. 50 patients were randomly assigned to two 25-member groups. The patients in the intervention group participated in eight 60-minute spiritual counseling program. They were asked to fill out the demographic information questionnaire before the intervention and Herth Hope Index (HHI) before, immediately (in the 4th week of the study) and a month after the intervention (in the 8th week of the study). Data were analyzed using Chi-square, independent samples t-test and repeated measures ANOVA in SPSS version 16. The significance level was considered P<0.05.

Results:

The results showed that the differences between the two groups before the intervention were not statistically significant in terms of demographic variables (P>0.05) and the mean score of hope (P=0.61). However, the total mean score of HHI in the intervention group was significantly different from the control group immediately and a month after the intervention (44.95±1.42 VS. 31.66±2.45 and 43.25±1.84 VS. 30.58±2.24), respectively (P<0.001). According to the results of the repeated measures ANOVA, the level of hope and its dimensions significantly changed in the intervention group over time (P<0.001).

Conclusion:

The results of the present study showed that spiritual counseling promoted the hope score in patients with MS. It is recommended that spiritual counseling should be use as a complementary therapy along with other counseling treatments to increase hope in patients with MS.

Trial Registration Number:

IRCT20190819044567N

Perceived professional competence in spiritual care and predictive role of spiritual intelligence in Iranian nursing students

AIM/OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to identify the relationship between perceived competence in spiritual care and spiritual intelligence among nursing students.

BACKGROUND

One of the most important duties of nurses is to pay attention to the spiritual needs of patients and provide them with proper spiritual care. Therefore, professional competence in this area is essential for nurses and nursing students. Also, spiritual intelligence is a factor influencing the caring behaviors of nurses.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional and correlational study SETTINGS/PARTICIPANTS: This study was included 510 undergraduate nursing students in two public faculties of nursing in Iran in the 2018-2019 academic year.

METHODS

The samples were selected using a census method. A demographic information questionnaire, the valid and reliable Iranian questionnaire of nurses' competencies in spiritual care and the spiritual intelligence self-report inventory (SISRI) were used to collect data.

RESULTS

A significant positive correlation was found between nursing students' competence in spiritual care and spiritual intelligence (p < 0.001, r = 0.26). No significant differences were found between the mean competence scores of spiritual care in terms of demographic characteristics. There were significant differences between the mean spiritual intelligence score in terms of age, marital status, history of clinical practice and academic year. The regression model indicated that for increased rates of spiritual intelligence, professional competence in spiritual care would rise as much as 0.39.

CONCLUSION

Spiritual intelligence can affect the competence of nursing students in providing spiritual care to patients. Therefore, to promote students' spiritual intelligence, appropriate plans with the aim of promoting the level of critical thinking and spiritual self-awareness are recommended.

Nurses' Perceptions of the Factors Contributing to the Development of the Love of the Profession: A Qualitative Content Analysis

As a professional value, the love of the profession can significantly affect nurses’ professional practice, behaviors and commitment. Many different factors can affect the love of the profession. The exploration of nurses’ experiences of these factors can provide valuable data for development of the love of the profession. The aim of this study was to explore nurses’ perceptions of the factors contributing to the development of the love of the profession. This qualitative study was conducted in 2020–2021 using the conventional content analysis approach. The participants were thirteen nurses with different organizational positions purposively recruited from different settings in Iran. The data were collected via semi-structured interviews, and were analyzed via the conventional content analysis approach proposed by Graneheim and Lundman. The factors contributing to the development of the love of the profession were categorized into four main categories, namely the public perception of the profession (with three subcategories), educational variables (with two subcategories), the characteristics of the profession (with four subcategories), and nurses’ self-evaluation (with three subcategories). The love of the profession is affected by a wide range of personal, educational, professional and social factors. The manipulation of these factors would help to develop nurses’ and nursing students’ love of the profession, and encourage people to choose nursing as a career.

Effect of Spiritual Care on Chest Tube Removal Anxiety and Pain in Heart Surgery in Muslim Patients (Shia and Sunni)

The process of removal of a chest tube can cause pain and anxiety. Spiritual care can be considered as a component of nursing care, especially in the pain and anxiety relating to such procedures. This study was a randomized clinical trial. Eighty patients completed the study. The findings showed significant differences in anxiety and pain between groups (p = 0.001). Spiritual care reduced anxiety and pain caused by chest tube removal in patients (Shia and Sunni Islam) undergoing heart surgery.

Spiritual care competence and its relationship with self-efficacy: An online survey among nurses in mainland China

AIMS

To explore the spiritual care competence among nurses in mainland China and determine its relationships with their self-efficacy and personal characteristics.

BACKGROUNDS

Nurses' perception of competence in spiritual care has critical effects on their own practice. Having a view of the nurses' spiritual care competence would help nurse managers recognize the weakness of spiritual practice.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional study using online survey methods was carried out in 2,970 Chinese nurses. Spiritual care competence scale and General Self-Efficacy Scale were used to collect the data.

RESULTS

The total score of spiritual care competence scale was 58.5 (16.05). The highest score on competence was for communication (3.48 (0.97)), and the lowest was referral to professionals (2.25 (0.93)). Positive correlation was found between spiritual care competence and self-efficacy (r = .490, p < .01). Results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that self-efficacy, whether or not trained, experience of caring terminal illness patients, working experiences and first degree were the five factors associated with spiritual care competence (F = 217.425, p < .001, R²  = 26.7%).

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses showed different levels of competence in various dimensions of spiritual care. Their spiritual care competence was related to self-efficacy, whether or not received training, experience of caring terminal illness patients, working experiences and first degree of nursing education.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Nurse managers have to realize that it is imperative to enhance the nurses' competence to address the spiritual care needs of patients. Appropriate ways to enhance the nurses' spiritual care competence are needed so as to improve spiritual practices.

Coping strategies adopted by Iranian families of children with Down syndrome: A qualitative study

Down syndrome (DS) is the leading cause of intellectual disability. Previous quantitative studies have examined the effects of DS on families of children with DS. This study explored the coping strategies adopted by the families of children with DS. This was a qualitative content analysis study, in which the participants were selected using purposive sampling from the families of children with DS. Semi-structured interviews were performed and collected data were analyzed. A total of 20 family members (10 mothers, 6 fathers, 2 brothers, and 2 sisters) were interviewed. Six categories were extracted in this study, namely "searching for information," "paying attention to children's healthcare needs," "concentration on spirituality," "teaching socially appropriate behavioral skills," "efforts to increase self-reliance in children," and "development of family support circle." The participating families were able to use positive adaptive mechanisms and cope well with the problems associated with having a child with DS. However, they still needed more support from healthcare providers and support organizations. Receiving more support from healthcare providers, such as nurses, can help them in better management of their children.

A study on improving nursing clinical competencies in a surgical department: A participatory action research

Aims

The purpose of the present study was to improve clinical competencies in nursing staff in a selected surgical department in Kashan/Iran during 2016-2018.

Design

This was a participatory action research.

Methods

This action research was implemented in four steps of problem identification, planning, action and reflection. Interviews, focus groups and observation were used for the qualitative part. Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II, job satisfaction and patients' satisfaction questionnaires were completed before and after the study. Qualitative content analysis, paired and independent t test were used for data analysis.

Results

Three main problems could affect the clinical competencies including professional insufficiency, basic shortages and external influences. Three changes were implemented in the surgical department including improving education, involving nursing students in patients' education and increasing the motivations by peer evaluation and selecting the nurse of the week. The changes significantly increased patients' satisfaction, nurses' job satisfaction and work effectiveness.

Assessing the Effect of Spiritual Intelligence Training on Spiritual Care Competency in Critical Care Nurses

Aim & Objective: Due to the importance of spiritual care as a part of holistic care, this study aimed to investigate the effect of spiritual intelligence training on the nurses’ competence in spiritual care in critical care units.

Methods: The study was performed on 82 nurses (40 in the experimental group and 42 in the control group). Participants were selected from critical care units of teaching hospitals affiliated to Lorestan University of Medical Sciences1. The experimental group took part in eight sessions of spiritual intelligence training, held in the form of workshops. In the control group, no intervention was made. The scale for assessing nurses’ competencies in spiritual care was completed before, immediately and one month after the sessions in two groups. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 15.

Results: The results showed that spiritual intelligence training had a positive effect on nurses’ competence in spiritual care. Also, 89% of the nurses who participated in the study had not been given any prior education regarding spiritual care. Nurses considered barriers to spiritual care including inadequate staff, cultural differences, high workload and lack of education on this subject.

Conclusions: The present results showed that the training of spiritual intelligence could develop the nurses’ competence in spiritual care. The development of spiritual care provided by nurses can result in various outcomes such as increased satisfaction with care in patients, reduced anxiety and symptoms of depression during hospitalization, reduced length of hospitalization and, in general, improved quality of life.

Inner Voice of Pregnant Women: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND

Spirituality becomes more significant and evident during crises like pregnancy; therefore, it is crucial for healthcare providers to be supportive during pregnancy through exploring and understanding the meaning of spirituality for pregnant women. This study aimed to discover the experiences of Iranian pregnant women regarding spirituality.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This qualitative, inductive, content analysis study was performed in 11 pregnant women (28-36 weeks' gestation) who attended the healthcare centers of Karaj, Iran. The subjects were selected by purposive sampling and invited to participate in the study. The data were collected through semi-structured, face-to-face, and in-depth interviews and were analyzed using the inductive content analysis approach.

RESULTS

Three major themes emerged during data analysis: "permeable transcendence," including "spiritual awareness of mother," "spiritual light of baby," and "personal transformation and improvement." "Doubled responsibility" comprised two subthemes of "spiritual nourishment for mother" and "spiritual nourishment for child," and "spiritual circumstance" consisted of two subthemes of "religious background" and "spirituality of healthcare provider."

CONCLUSIONS

Considering the importance of spirituality and religion in gestational health promotion, the results of this study can assist healthcare providers in recognizing the women's spiritual needs and valuing the protective role of religious/spiritual well-being during pregnancy.

Psychometric properties of the Chinese mainland version of the Palliative Care Spiritual Care Competency Scale (PCSCCS-M) in nursing: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Spiritual care competencies are among the primary professional skills that enable best practices in nursing. Assessing these competencies and identifying those that are insufficient are important tasks. The traditional Chinese version of the Palliative Care Spiritual Care Competency Scale (PCSCCS) used in Taiwan is a well-validated tool to measure palliative caregivers' competencies in providing spiritual care. However, whether this scale is valid and reliable for use with nurses in other health-care contexts is unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine this version's validity and reliability for use with nurses in mainland China.

METHODS

The PCSCCS was first converted into a simplified Chinese version (PCSCCS-M) from the traditional Chinese version used in Taiwan such that mainland nurses could read and understand it easily. Then, the validity and reliability of the PCSCCS-M was evaluated with 400 Chinese nurses recruited using convenience sampling from three university-affiliated comprehensive hospitals, two cancer hospitals, one psychiatric hospital, two traditional Chinese medicine hospitals, one marital and child service care center, and one community health service center. Concurrent validity was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficients of the PCSCCS-M and the Chinese version of the Spiritual Care-Giving Scale (C-SCGS). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to determine the construct validity. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted using another sample of 351 nurses to verify the quality of the factor structures of the PCSCCS-M. An internal consistency test based on Cronbach's alpha coefficient and a stability test based on the Guttman split-half coefficient were also conducted.

RESULTS

Useful data were obtained from 356 participants (response rate: 89%). EFA confirmed a three-dimensional structure of the scale after one item was deleted, and the three factors explained 63.839% of the total variance. Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the three subscales were 0.811, 0.889 and 0.896, and the Guttman split-half coefficient for the PCSCCS-M was 0.862. Modified CFA indicated a well-fitting model. The correlation between the PCSCCS-M and C-SCGS was 0.340 (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The PCSCCS-M is a brief, easy-to-understand, and psychometrically sound measurement tool to evaluate spiritual care competencies in nurses from mainland China.

Evaluation of Health-Care Providers' Perception of Spiritual Care and the Obstacles to Its Implementation

Objective:

Cancer patients face many health challenges, including spiritual issues. Therefore, an awareness of health-care providers’ perspective on spiritual care provision is important. This study aimed to determine health-care providers’ perception of spiritual care and to examine the individual barriers to its implementation in cancer patients.

Methods:

The present descriptive study included 136 physicians and nurses. The Spiritual Care Survey was used as a research tool. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 20.0.

Results:

In this study, 70.6% of the participants considered spiritual care to be influential in the patients’ quality of life. However, 64.7% had received no spiritual care training, while 82.4% indicated a willingness to attend these courses. Regarding the obstacles to providing spiritual care, the highest and lowest scores, respectively, belonged to the lack of time and the person's reluctance to talk about spiritual issues.

Conclusions:

Spiritual care has not yet found its proper place in the care setting of Iran, and health-care team members do not have sufficient training to provide this kind of care despite their belief in its positive impact on patients’ quality of life.

Spirituality and Spiritual Care Competence among Expatriate Nurses Working in Saudi Arabia

Background: In Saudi Arabia, where the majority of the nursing workforce are foreigners, little is known about perceptions of spirituality and spiritual caregiving among foreign nurses who provide nursing care to patients with varied spiritual and religious beliefs. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the spirituality and spiritual care competence and its predictors among expatriate Christian nurses in Saudi Arabia, who provide care for Muslim patients. Methods: A convenience sample of 302 nurses was surveyed in this descriptive cross-sectional study using the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale and the Spiritual Care Competence Scale. Results: Results revealed high values on three domains, namely, spiritual care, personal care, and existential spirituality. The majority of the respondents reported competence in all six subscales of spiritual care. The participants’ age, educational level, perception of existential spirituality, and personal care were found to be relevant predictors of their spiritual care competence. Conclusions: The findings suggest that existential spirituality and personal care dimensions of Christian nurses’ spirituality and spiritual care perceptions play critical roles in the provision of competent spiritual care to Muslim patients.

How clinical nurses in South Korea perceive the status of the nursing profession: A Q-methodological approach

Professional self-image among nurses is shaped by subjective perceptions, feelings, and tacit views. A perceived positive status reflects and influences the nurse's self-esteem, professional empowerment, and nursing performance. The aim of this study was to examine the perceived status of the nursing profession among clinical nurses in South Korea. Q-methodology was used with data collected from September to December 2014. Forty-four Q statements were selected and scored by the 31 participants on a 9-point scale with normal distribution. The data were analyzed using the pc-QUANL program. Thirty-one nurses were classified into 3 factors based on the following viewpoints: as professional (I am proud of my nursing job), subprofessional (I am not proud of my nursing job), and developmental (advocating for change and improvement). The major finding of this study included clinical nurses' subjective perception toward the status of nursing profession. The results indicated that to raise the status of nursing profession, nurses need to understand the value of nursing and their contribution to patients and public.

Integration of Spirituality in Medical Education in Iran: A Qualitative Exploration of Requirements

Background. Healthcare system has needed to provide spiritual services, and one of the reasons for not addressing spirituality in this field is lack of training in this area. This study purpose is to explore and identify main requirements for designing this education, in Iran. Materials and Methods. This is a qualitative study with conventional content analysis method. 18 participants, who were main stakeholders in spirituality, medical education, and curriculum development, were selected by purposive sampling. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, which continued until data saturation. Results. Three main themes and their categories were extracted from analysis of data. The themes are (1) educational needs including clinical practice needs; (2) opportunities including rich background and backup, perceived clinical need, and right context of medical education for change; and (3) challenges including challenges in academic planning and barriers to implementation. Conclusion. All stakeholders acknowledged the need for addressing spirituality in formal medical education. It seems that implementation of such programs requires attention to facilitating factors and challenges proposed by those involved.