Promoting Spiritual Care in Nursing Education

Melissa Neathery, MSN, RN, CNE

Student assessing vital signs of member of faith-based community

outpatient program.

Promotion
of
Human
Needs
Fulfillment

Human
Being

G
LO
O

C
Y
S L
P A
Authors Conceptual Model of the HumanCNeeds Framework

Spiritual and religious coping

mechanisms are adaptive for 80% of
outpatients with schizophrenia (Mohr &
Huguelet, 2014).

Tension
Causing
Human
Need
Alteration

Outcomes
Data from verbal and written work of students from
four clinical groups (N=32) were evaluated. All
students identified, assessed, defined, and gave
examples of spiritual needs of program members
with Hope being the most frequently identified.

80
%
70

Clinical Experience
Junior students of a baccalaureate nursing program
were instructed to identify and address the spiritual
needs of people with chronic mental illnesses.
Students attended a faith-based community
outreach program for people with chronic mental
illnesses. During the clinical (6 hours), students
participated in a prayer and devotional meeting,
taught a psychoeducational class, monitored
participants
vital
signs,
served
lunch,
and
Based on the Human Needs Framework, students will:
with program
members.
identify, assess,
define, and
give an example of a
conversed
spiritual human need demonstrated by members of the
program.
provide an interventions for at least one spiritual need
with members of the program
explain how the various physical, psychosocial, and
spiritual needs interrelate
reflect on the importance of holistic nursing practice

Spiritual Needs of
Program
Members

80

Types of Spiritual Care

Interventions

%
70
%

60

60

50

50

40
%
30

IA
C

Spirituality should be integrated into

holistic mental health treatment (Mohr,
2006)

The goal of nursing is to assist humans to maintain

or attain optimum health through fulfillment of
human needs

SO

Many nurses often feel uncertain and

unprepared to address spiritual needs of
psychiatric patients (Ameling & Povilonis,
2001).

Aspects of the body, mind, and soul are

interrelated.

that spiritual care is important, but few

actually implement spiritual care
(Moreira-Almeida et al., 2014).

A relationship to God is a fundamental component

of ones being.

A
IC
YS

What Literature Tells

Us professionals report believing
Health

from an alteration in some physical, psychological,

social or spiritual human need.

PH

and nursing textbooks mention spiritual

care, but translating theory and concepts
into practice is not easy. There are many
spiritual assessment tools, but little
instruction on spiritual nursing
interventions. To increase nursing student
competence and confidence in providing
spiritual care, a clinical day devoted to the
spiritual care of people with chronic mental
illness was developed. Clinical objectives
were derived from the curricular framework
of Human Needs.

Theoretical
Basic TenantsFramework
of the Human Needs Framework:
People experience internal tension that results

SP
A IR
L
IT
U

Background &
The American Purpose
Nursing Association
recognizes the importance of spiritual care,

Hope
Meaning
Others

Relatededness

40
%

Therap
Prayer
Comm.

Teaching

Bibliotherapy

30
Ninety-six percent of the students
provided spiritual
%
%
interventions.
Students
identified
some
needs
that
20
20
were
social or psychological; however, the
%
%
interventions
were faith-based. For example, one
10
10
student
addressed a members
distorted
self-esteem
%
%
by offering applicable Scripture references. Most
students identified therapeutic communication as
the intervention used most to convey acceptance,
belonging, purpose, hope, and understanding. All
students verbally gave examples of how unmet
needs in one dimension negatively impacted the
status of one or two other dimensions. Written and
verbal comments explained how students saw the
I noticedof
how
meeting
spiritual needs
provides
importance
treating
all dimensions
in order
to
[client] health.
with strength and stability which
promote

promotes mental and physical health.

Conclusions
Verbal feedback from students indicated that they
were taught about spiritual needs and treatment
didactically, but had minimal opportunity to apply
it to the clinical setting. All students reported
feeling more comfortable in assessing and
discussing spiritual beliefs after the focus on
spirituality in the clinical setting. Future
experiences should be replicated across the
curriculum to increase student confidence in
addressing
spiritual
needs.
References are available upon request.