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How C hristian nurses converse with patients about spirituality
Author(s) -
Pfeiffer Jane Bacon,
Gober Carla,
Taylor Elizabeth Johnston
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of clinical nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1365-2702
pISSN - 0962-1067
DOI - 10.1111/jocn.12596
Subject(s) - spirituality , spiritual care , psychology , nursing , conversation , qualitative research , psychological intervention , social psychology , medicine , sociology , alternative medicine , social science , communication , pathology
Aims and objectives To describe the experience of conversing with clients to provide spiritual care from the perspective of C hristian nurses identified as exemplary spiritual caregivers. More specifically, findings presented here describe the goals and strategies of these nurses when conversing with patients about spirituality. Background Although verbal communication is pivotal to most spiritual care interventions recognised in the nursing literature, there is scant empirical evidence to inform such spiritual care. There is evidence, however, that many nurses have discomfort and difficulty with conversations about spirituality. Design Cross‐sectional, descriptive, qualitative design framed by phenomenology. Methods Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 14 southern C alifornia registered nurses working in varied clinical settings. Data were coded and thematically analysed by three researchers who established equivalency. Methods to support the trustworthiness of the findings were employed. Results Themes providing structure to the description of how nurses converse with patients about spirituality included assessing and establishing connection, overt introductions of spirituality, finding spiritual commonality, self‐disclosure, spiritual encouragement, spiritual advice or religious teaching, and prayer. Requisite to any spiritual care conversation, however, was ‘allowing them (patients) to talk’. Informants tread ‘gently and softly’ in approaching spiritual discourse, assessing for any patient resistance, and not pushing further if any was met. Conclusion Findings illustrate compassionate nursing with specifiable goals and strategies for conversations about spirituality; they also raise questions about how nurse religious beliefs are to ethically inform these conversations. Relevance to clinical practice The I nvitation, C onnection, A ttentive care, R e ciprocity mnemonic is offered as a means for nurses to remember essentials for communication with patients about spirituality.