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Professional, Ethical, and Legal Implications for Spiritual Care in Nursing
Author(s) -
Wright Kathy B.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
image: the journal of nursing scholarship
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1547-5069
pISSN - 0743-5150
DOI - 10.1111/j.1547-5069.1998.tb01241.x
Subject(s) - spiritual care , spirituality , nursing , privilege (computing) , professional responsibility , ethical issues , nursing care , psychology , medicine , engineering ethics , political science , alternative medicine , law , pathology , engineering
Purpose: To highlight nurses' professional and ethical responsibility to consistently provide spiritual care. The legal issue of nurse‐client privilege in relation to spiritual care is also discussed. Spiritual care is consistent with the model of holistic care. Yet spiritual care often remains a neglected focus of current nursing practice. Conclusions: Spirituality, as an important aspect of wellness, is indispensable in nursing care. Nurses are obligated to take an active role in meeting the spiritual needs of patients.