title: Patients' perceptions of spirituality and the nurse as a spiritual care provider.
abstract: This qualitative study explored patients' perceptions of spirituality and of the nurse as a spiritual care provider. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 8 adults older than 21, who were living at home, and had been discharged from the hospital within the past 3 months having had at least a 5-day length of stay. Participants agreed that during their hospitalization, nurses were kind and caring but these behaviors were not perceived as spiritual care. Study findings suggest that patients do not perceive spiritual care within the role of nursing and therefore they did not share their spiritual concerns with nurses. Study findings are limited by sample size; however, implications for practice are that nurses need to be aware of a patient's spiritual needs to provide spiritual care.
authors.affiliation: York City College of Technology/CUNY, Brooklyn 11209, USA. RCavendish@prodigy.net
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cavendish
authors.forename: Lynda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Konecny
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Naradovy
authors.forename: Barbara Kraynyak
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Luise
authors.forename: June
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Como
authors.forename: Pearline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Okumakpeyi
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mitzeliotis
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lanza
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D018939:Holistic Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009518:New York; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010687:Philosophy, Nursing; D029181:Spirituality