[Concept analysis of spiritual care].
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to identify attributes of the concept of spiritual care.


METHODS
Walker and Avant's concept analysis framework was employed to review the clinical guidelines, nursing text books, and nursing research articles which were related to spiritual care and published from 1985 to 2005.


RESULTS
The attributes of the concept of spiritual care were a three stage process such as spiritual assessment, spiritual intervention, and spiritual evaluation. Spiritual care included three dimensions of relationships such as transpersonal, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. The quality of spiritual care was dependent upon characteristics of care-givers such as perception and knowledge of spiritual care, and the clinical environment. The antecedents of spiritual care was spiritual needs due to the prompt events. The consequence of spiritual care was spiritual well-being.


CONCLUSIONS
This concept analysis of spiritual care contributed to promote performance of spiritual care in clinical fields by removing conceptual ambiguity and confirming the true meaning of spiritual care.
Kang
Sung-Rye
SR
Department of Nursing, Kkottongnae Hyundo University of Social Welfare, 387 Sangsamri, Hyndomyun, Cheongwongun, Chungbuk 363-823, Korea. srkang@kkot.ac.kr
D003210:Concept Formation; D006801:Humans; D016294:Models, Nursing; D026443:Spiritual Therapies / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D009626:Terminology as Topic