Nursing: A Story of the Spirituality in Caring by (original) (raw)
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Caring Connection: The Essentiality of Nursing in the Human Health Experience
2014
Caring has been recognized as being central to nursing practice. Potter and Perry (2001) defined caring as a universal phenomenon that influences the ways in which people think, feel, and behave in relation to one another. Caring has always been an essential part of nursing. The word nursing has always been connected to caring and nurses has always been known as caregivers for the sick. Unlike the impression in the 1800’s about nurses as just merely physician’s assistant, nursing nowadays is linked to caring which requires an investment of self by the nurse – physically, emotionally, mentally and even spiritually. Benner cited in Potter & Perry (2001) defined caring which means that persons, events, projects, and things matter to people. But caring does not only mean taking care or putting attention to a client. The nurse’s empathy and compassion should become a natural part of the daily encounter with the client. Benner and Wrubel cited in Potter & Perry (2001) relate the story of ...
Spiritual and religious beliefs influence how individuals view death and dying. Nurses focus on the physiological, safety, and emotional needs of the patient, and sometimes the spiritual needs may be neglected (Reed, 1987). Nurses need to identify the spiritual needs to delivery holistic care. The purpose of this study is to compare perspectives of the spirituality and well-being of the non-terminally ill hospitalized and terminally ill hospitalized adults and to determine if there is a relationship between spirituality and well-being. This is a replication of Reed's (1987) study. The Systemic Organization (Friedemann, Mouch, & Racey, 2002) is the framework that guides the study. All terminally ill patients hospitalized on the oncology or hospice units from two hospitals in the Lafayette, Indiana will be evaluated during a 6 month period. The seriously ill patients will be patients admitted to the intensive care units and step-down units. The anticipated number of participants is 50 terminally ill patients and 50 seriously ill patients selected from an anticipated 100 terminally ill patients and 100 seriously ill patients. The Spiritual Perspective Scale (SPS) and Index of Well-Being (IWB) will be used to measure the spirituality and well-being of the participants. Findings will provide information for nurses about the perspectives on spiritual care. Nursing is described as the art of caring. The goals of nursing have been to promote well-being and optimal health. The nurse's caring behaviors are reflected through presence at the patient's bedside. Presence is not only a physical attendance, but "a willingness to focus on really being there and being involved when with another" (Meinechenko, 2003, p. 19). Presence helps the nurse to develop an understanding of the patient's lived experiences, and through the patient's lived experience the nurse can help the patient to explore and find meaning. Finfgeld-Connett (2008) defined the art of nursing as the expert use and adaptation of empirical and metaphysical knowledge and values. Empirical knowledge is the evidence-based practice of nursing. It is the science of what and why nurses practice. The metaphysical knowledge is the "awareness of things that are not always visible, audible, or palpable; and which are often thought of as intuitive" (Finfgeld-Connett, 2008, p. 383). Values are the principles that guide practice. Values inherent to nursing are holism, care for individuals in need, respect for self and others, right to personal choice, and empowerment through patient advocacy. The attributes of the art of nursing are relationship-centered practice (kindness, compassion, healing touch, humor, and thoughtful doing); expert practice (experience at assessing, planning, intervening, and evaluating care); and outcome (improve the welfare of humankind) (Finfgeld-Connett, 2008). The goals of the art of nursing are to promote professional satisfaction and personal grow of the nurse. Holism views the patient as an integration of body, mind, and spirit and requires not only care of the physiological, social, and psychological aspects, but also the
How do patients experience caring? Scoping review
Patient education and counseling, 2017
Summarise empirical research into patients' experiences of caring in order to promote this as a core condition for the work of health professionals. A review team: carried out a scoping review with a phenomenological orientation that did not privilege any profession or context of care; comprehensively searched six databases from inception to the present, including all English language articles that report patients' lived experiences of caring; and identified and contrasted uncaring experiences. 43 articles straddled nursing, medicine, and physiotherapy, and a wide range of care settings. Patients experienced caring when competent professionals displayed positive attitudes, communicated effectively, formed relationships, helped them navigate clinical services, and engaged emotionally. This research provides a rich description of caring, which was derived from patients', rather than professionals', experiences. Whilst publications and basic professional curricula are d...
Aim(s) -This article considers the purpose of contemporary "spiritual care" in order to inform decisions about its appropriate delivery in a clinical context . Background -Although there are national policies in place concerning spiritual care, surveys indicate that nurses are reluctant to engage with the spiritual needs of patients. Evaluation -A consideration of the character of spiritual care indicates the need to take account of the context of contemporary western society. A model drawn from the social psychology of religion is used to analyse the different types of nursepatient interaction available in the provision of spiritual care. Key issue(s) -Although religious and spiritual commitments can vary widely, they are subject to the same pressures in a secular and pluralist social context. This enables some general guidelines to be developed. Conclusion(s) -Effective spiritual care requires a consideration of both the patient"s and the nurse"s implicit and explicit religious commitments. Implications for Nursing Management -Nurse managers need to take account of the personal commitments of nurses when directing them to offer spiritual care. This article offers a diagnostic tool for deploying nurses in an appropriate way.
Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2006
Putting a puzzle together: making spirituality meaningful for nursing using an evolving theoretical framework Aims and objectives. This paper addresses the need for a practical understanding of spirituality in nursing by means of a generic definition of spirituality, an emerging theoretical framework, and some general practice guidelines. Background. Spirituality is being addressed more frequently in nursing literature, but there is still lacking a professional understanding of the phenomenon that is useful as a basis for practice and research. Conclusion. The history of spirituality in nursing is recognized, and then its role in peoples' and patients' lives, health and healing is examined. Spirituality is clarified through its various definitions in the literature, and identification of component concepts: connectedness, meaning, transcendence, values and beliefs, energy and emotion. A working definition and the concepts are brought together into a framework. Guidelines for how to incorporate spirituality into practice are presented. Relevance to clinical practice. With this understanding of spirituality by means of a clarifying definition, a theoretical framework and six general guidelines, nurses may be better equipped to incorporate spirituality into their practice. This will fulfil professional and accrediting mandates and, more importantly, provide more holistic, ethical and balanced care for patients.