An Investigation of the Perceptions and Practices of Nursing Students Regarding Spirituality and Spiritual Care

Beyond the physical realm: exploring the relationship between spiritual well-being and spiritual care competence

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between nurses' spiritual well-being and their competence in providing spiritual care, and to identify influencing factors among Turkish nurses.

METHODS

A descriptive and correlative design was employed, involving 520 nurses from two hospitals in eastern Turkey. Data were collected online using Google Forms, which included a demographic questionnaire, the three-factor Spiritual Well-being Scale and the Spiritual Care Competence Scale. The study was conducted between August 2019 and June 2020.

RESULTS

A significant positive correlation was found between nurses' spiritual well-being and their spiritual nursing competence (r=0.320, p=0.019). Factors, such as work duration, marital status, patient load, experience, education and information, influenced these attributes. Ageing has also been found to reduce well-being and competence.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses' spiritual well-being and competence in providing spiritual care were moderately positively and significantly correlated. Education, experience and engagement in religious activities enhanced these attributes. Future research should explore additional influencing factors and incorporate spirituality into nursing education to improve the quality of holistic care.

The Enhancing of Nurses' and Midwives' Competence in Providing Spiritual Care through Innovative Education and Compassionate Care using the Spiritual Care Competency Self-Assessment Tool: Turkish Version

Spiritual care is an important part of holistic care and is at the center of nursing/midwifery care. Nurses/midwives are expected to graduate by receiving adequate training in spiritual care and gaining spiritual care competence during their student days. It is important to evaluate the spiritual care competencies of nursing/midwifery students and to correct the deficiencies, if any. Therefore, a self-assessment tool is needed to increase awareness and knowledge and improve skills and attitudes in the field of spirituality and pastoral care. One of these tools is EPICC (Enhancing Nurses' and Midwives' Competence in Providing Spiritual Care through Innovative Education and Compassionate Care). This EPICC Spiritual Care Education Standard describes the spiritual care competencies expected from undergraduate nursing and midwifery students. For every competence, the learning outcomes are described in aspects of knowledge, skills, and attitudes. This research was conducted with a methodological design to ensure that the Turkish version of the EPICC Spiritual Care Competency Self-Assessment Tool can be used as a reliable and valid measurement tool in nursing research in Turkey. Methodological and cross-sectional research design was used in the research method. The research was carried out with 300 nursing and midwifery students in Turkey. Data were collected using the personal information form and the EPICC Spiritual Care Competency Self-Assessment Tool. The results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the four-factor structure of the scale. Cronbach's α, item-total correlation, test-retest analysis, and equivalent form analysis showed high reliability. EPICC Spiritual Care Competency Self-Assessment Tool For Student Nurses And Midwives: Turkish Validity And Reliability Study consists of 24 items on a five-point Likert-type scale. The Turkish version of the EPICC Spiritual Care Competency Self-Assessment Tool is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the Spiritual Care Competencies of nursing and midwifery students. Evaluating the Spiritual Care Competencies of nursing and midwifery students is an important issue, it is now possible in Turkey with this scale given its validity and reliability.

Greek School Nurses' Confidence With Diabetes Devices

Aim School nurses often use diabetes mellitus devices as part of the care provided to students with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. The aim of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of the Greek version of the Diabetes Devices Confidence Scale (DDCS). Methods In this cross-sectional, descriptive study, 143 school nurses completed the DDCS. This is a self-administered questionnaire exploring the nurses' confidence in the use of diabetes devices. The scale was translated and culturally adapted according to the WHO guidelines. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient and Cronbach's Alpha Index were used to explore the reliability and internal consistency, respectively. The construct validity was tested via exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA, CFA). Data were analyzed via Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 22.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results Significant correlations were observed between the two administrations (p<0.001) indicating the good reliability of the scale (ICC = 0525, p<0.001) while Cronbach's Alpha was 0.966 suggesting excellent internal consistency. The EFA resulted in a unidimensional solution explaining 53.7% of the total variance. The CFA showed that the model presents good fit to the data. Conclusions The DDCS is a reliable and valid tool to test the nurses' confidence in diabetes devices.

Spiritual Care and Death in Intensive Care from the Perspective of Nursing Students in Turkey: An Exploratory Mixed Study

This mixed methods research study aimed to determine spiritual care competencies and death anxiety levels of nursing students practicing in intensive care. The quantitative part of this study included 33 students while the qualitative part included 17 students. Nursing students' spiritual care competence was detected to be above medium and their death anxiety was high. Two themes emerged from the qualitative data collected through in-depth interviews with 17 nursing students: (a) Views on spiritual care competencies and (b) Views on death. These findings are significant to reduce nursing students' death anxiety, increase spiritual care competencies and the quality of patients' end-of-life care.

Determining the relationship between spirituality and perceptions of care in nursing students: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Caring is a core value in nursing education and many of its features can be measured as specific behaviors. It is not clear how nurses' spirituality affects their caring behavior.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between spirituality and spiritual care and nursing students' perceptions of care.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study sample consisted of 467 students in the nursing department of a university in Northeastern Anatolia. Data were collected using a descriptive information form, the Care Assessment Report Evaluation Q-sort (CARE-Q), and the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS). Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, t-test, analysis of variance, and Kruskal-Wallis H, Mann-Whitney U, correlation, and regression tests.

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 21.14 ± 1.97 years, 55.0% were women, and 63.0% said that nursing was their preferred profession. Most of the students rated their knowledge of spirituality and spiritual care as adequate (17.6%) or partially adequate (48.0%). CARE-Q and SSCRS scores were significantly higher among female students who chose a career in nursing to help people, want to obtain their master's degree, and agreed that providing care is nurses' primary duty (p < 0.05). There was a weak positive correlation between CARE-Q and SSCRS scores (p < 0.001; r = 0.369).

CONCLUSION

There was a significant relationship between CARE-Q and SSCRS scores (p < 0.05).

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

To promote holistic care, nursing students should be provided training on spirituality and spiritual care, with emphasis on the role of nurses in care.

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.

Nurse's spiritual care perception in Ethiopia: A multicenter cross-sectional study

Objectives:

Spirituality and spiritual care are the critical components of patient care. In recent years, spirituality has been indicated as a crucial but often overlooked component of patient health. Despite their benefits, several factors prevent nurses from providing spiritual care. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the current state of spiritual care perception of nurses in Southwest Ethiopia as well as the factors influencing it.

Methods:

From 1 August to 2 September 2021, an institution-based cross-sectional study was performed on nurses at five government hospitals in Southwest Ethiopia. Study participants were selected using a simple random sampling method. Data were collected using the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS). The collected data were recorded into EpiData 4.1 and SPSS version 25. Simple and multivariable linear regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with spiritual care perception. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results:

A total of 390 nurses were enrolled in the study, yielding a response rate of 96.8%. The mean score for nurses’ perception of spiritual care for patients was moderate, that is, 3.11 ± 0.78. Age (p < 0.05), clinical experience (p < 0.05), educational status (p < 0.05), and religion (p < 0.05) were significantly associated with spiritual care perceptions.

Conclusion:

Nurses’ perception of spiritual care was moderate. It is affected by nurses’ age, clinical experience, educational level, and religion. This expanding body of data should be used to notify nurse managers and nursing management personnel to provide spiritual care training, planning, and services.

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.

Nursing students' spiritual caregiving status: Comparison of Western and Central Anatolia regions of Turkey

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to determine the status of spiritual caregiving education in nursing students belonging to two different state universities in Turkey.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The descriptive, cross-sectional study was completed with 326 students.

FINDINGS

Turkey's western regions in mean scale scores of students (147.27 ± 19.40) in central Anatolia (140.83 ± 18.82) was higher than the students and the difference was statistically significant. A statistically significant difference was found between the total score averages of the Spiritual Caregiving Scale and their year of study, self-perception of spirituality, and relating their profession to spirituality (p < 0.05).

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

It is recommended to include spiritual care issues and principles in the nursing education curriculum.

The Relationship Between Turkish Nursing Students' Perceptions of Spiritual Care and their Attitudes Towards Death

This study aimed to examine the relationship between nursing students' perception of spiritual care and their attitudes towards death. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Turkey between March and April 2021 with 601 nursing students using the Google Forms questionnaire. The "Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS)" and "Attitude towards Death Scale (ATDS)" were utilised to assist with data collection and analysis. While there was no relationship between the students' total SSCRS and total ATDS scores, there was a positive relationship between the total SSCRS and the Neutral Acceptance-Approach Acceptance Subscale (r = 0.129, p = 0.002), and a negative relationship between SSCRS and the Fear of Death and Avoidance of Death Subscale (r =  - 0.097, p = 0.017). Providing support in terms of spiritual care and viewing spiritual care as related to nursing were related to the total SSCRS score. Alcohol use, viewing spiritual care as related to nursing, self-perceptions of spirituality, and fear of death were associated with the total ATDS score (p < 0.05). It is recommended that spiritual care and death perceptions be addressed more comprehensively in the educational curriculum of nursing students.

Nursing Students' Perception Levels of Spirituality and Spiritual Care in Turkey

The present study was conducted to determine nursing students' perception levels of spirituality and spiritual care and the factors affecting these levels. The study was carried out in the nursing faculty of a university located in eastern Turkey between April and June 2019. The study population was made up of students studying within a department of nursing (n = 1250), and involved a sample size of 420 students, determined by power analysis. Data were obtained from an 'Introductory Information Form' that included students' sociodemographic characteristics and questions related to spiritual care and the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS). Students scored, on average, 59.8 ± 9.7 on the SSCRS. Gender, year of undergraduate education, father's education level, knowledge of spiritual care, beliefs on the relationship between spiritual care and nursing care, and the ability to meet patients' spiritual needs were variables with an impact on the total SSCRS scores (p < 0.05). The findings show that spiritual care perception levels of nursing students were high.

The relationship between psychiatric nurses' spiritual care practices, perceptions and their competency

PURPOSE

The research aimed to examine the relationship between psychiatric nurses' spiritual care practices, perceptions and competencies.

METHODS

This study was conducted as a descriptive -correlational study. The population of the study consisted of the nurses working at Manisa Mental Health Hospital (N =134). It was intended to contact the whole of the population, and so there was no selection process. Thus, the study sample consisted of 128 nurses, who accepted to participate in the research. Spirituality Spiritual Care Rating Scale used to determine nurses' perceptions spirituality and spiritual care. Spiritual Care Competence Scale was used to evaluate the nurses' spiritual care competence.

RESULTS

Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale of psychiatric nurses item score mean was 3.93 ± 0.49, the Spiritual Care Competence Scale of psychiatric nurses item score mean was 3.54 ± 0.63. There was no significant relationship between two scales (p > 0.05). As a result of multiple regression analysis, psychiatric nurses' which accounts for only 20.1% of spirituality and spiritual care perceptions of feel incompetent about spiritual care.

CONCLUSION

Psychiatric nurses' perceptions of spiritual and spiritual care were high, but their competence was at a moderete level. There was no a correlation between nurses' perceptions and competencies of spiritual care.

Relationship between the nursing students' attitudes towards spiritual care and the principles of a good death

PURPOSE

This descriptive study aims to identify the relationship between the nursing students' attitudes towards spiritual care and the principles of a good death.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A total of 224 nursing students took part in this study. A personal data from, the "assessment scale of attitudes towards principles about dying with dignity" and the "spiritual support perception scale" were used in the data collection.

FINDINGS

This study found that the nursing students' attitudes towards spiritual care and the principles of a good death were positive. As the students' attitudes towards the principles of a good death increased, their attitudes towards spiritual care also increased.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

It is recommended that the principles of a good death and spiritual care should be included in the nursing curriculum.

Approaching Spiritual and Existential Care Needs in Health Education: Applying SOPHIE (Self-Exploration through Ontological, Phenomenological, and Humanistic, Ideological, and Existential Expressions), as Practice Methodology

Addressing existential and spiritual care needs, often remains a challenge in health education. Spirituality is a subjective human experience that shapes how individuals make meaning, construct knowledge, develop their own sense of reality, and bring personal and social transformation. To inspire health and social students at a London based University; learners were engaged into philosophical reasonings associated with the meaning to care. SOPHIE (Self-exploration through Ontological, Phenomenological and Humanistic, Ideological, and Existential expressions)—a reflective practice tool was applied during in-class activities from June 2019–2020. Using SOPHIE as a tool, students were encouraged to explore existential and ontological care aspects by engaging into transformative learning approaches. Participants identified their own existential and spiritual care needs by reflecting on their own meaning making process. SOPHIE enabled resilience and authenticity among learners as a reflexive discourse.

Do Perceptions of Spiritual Care Affect Attitudes Towards Care for Dying Patients in a Group of Turkish Nursing Students?

The present study was designed to determine the relation between attitudes to death and perceptions of spiritual care in nursing students. It is a descriptive study and included 290 fourth-year nursing students (intern students). Data were collected with a descriptive characteristics form, Frommelt Attitude Towards Care of the Dying Instrument and Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale. SPSS version 21 was used for data analysis. There was a significant positive relation between the mean scores for Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale and Frommelt Attitude Towards Care of the Dying Instrument. It can be recommended that courses about death and spiritual care should be offered and integrated into nursing curricula.

Attitudes Toward Spiritual Care and the Provision of Spiritual Care Interventions Among Jordanian Baccalaureate Nursing Students: Prevalence and Correlates

AIM

The aim of this study was to identify aspects and frequencies of spiritual care intervention provided by baccalaureate nursing students and to explore factors associated with the frequency of spiritual care interventions.

BACKGROUND

Provision of spiritual care is a part of good quality nursing and is an important dimension in patients' health and well-being.

METHODA

A cross-sectional descriptive and correlational design was employed. A convenience sample of 267 Jordanian baccalaureate nursing students completed a structured, self-administered questionnaire.

RESULTS

Participants had a low mean level of provision frequency for religious spiritual care interventions. Nursing students with a greater spiritual perspective, positive attitudes toward spiritual care, and adequate education and training in spiritual care were more likely to provide interventions more frequently.

CONCLUSIONS

Jordanian baccalaureate nursing students provide religious spiritual care interventions only infrequently. Implications for nursing education, clinical field experience, and nursing program curricula are explored.

Influence of Palliative Care Training on Last-Year Nursing Department Students' Perception on Regarding Spirituality and Spiritual Care: A Single-Group Pretest-Posttest Intervention Study

Spiritual care is a part of integrated care and should not be considered as a separate aspect of palliative care. Spirituality is seen as a requirement that must be met for all patients. The aim of this study is to determine the influence of palliative care on the perception levels of student nurses regarding spirituality and spiritual care. The research was carried out as a single-group pretest-posttest intervention study. The study was conducted with 70 student nurses. Data were collected via personal information form and spirituality and spiritual care grading scale (SSCGS). Frequency, percentage, average, standard deviation, paired sample t-test and Wilcoxon test were used to analyze the data. 55.7% of the students who participated in research stated that they had never heard of spiritual care, and 81.4% of the students stated that they had not obtained any information regarding spiritual care. The point average of the student nurses related to SSCGS was found to be 3.27 ± 0.21 before training and 3.35 ± 0.22 after training. The difference between the total point averages of the student nurses pre- and posttraining was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05).As a result of the research, the perception of the student nurses regarding spirituality and spiritual support was found to be above the middle and increased significantly after the training. In accordance with these results, it is suggested that spiritual care training should be included more into nursing education.

Nursing Students' Perceptions of Spirituality and Spiritual Care; An Example of Turkey

This descriptive survey study aimed to explore how nursing students perceive spirituality/spiritual care and investigate the variables acting on their perception. Data were collected using the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale with 500 students from the Faculty of Nursing. The students' median score regarding their perception of spirituality and spiritual care indicates a "conceptual confusion" related with these concepts. Female students have higher scale scores than male students (z = 2.19, p < 0.05). Students' awareness of spirituality and related concepts, and their acquisition of spiritual care skills will allow them to provide spiritual care after graduation.