title: Meaning of spiritual care: Iranian nurses' experiences.
abstract: Spiritual care is an essential component in nursing practice and strongly influenced by the sociocultural context. This article aimed to elucidate the meaning of nurses' experiences of giving spiritual care in southeast of Iran. A phenomenological hermeneutic approach influenced by Ricoeur was used. Eleven staff nurses who were currently working in the 3 major hospitals under the umbrella of the Kerman University of Medical Sciences were interviewed. The meaning of spiritual care was comprehensively understood as meeting patient as a unique being. This can be divided into 3 themes: meeting patient as a being in relationship, meeting patient as a cultural being, and meeting patient as a religious being. The results in this study suggest that education about spirituality and spiritual care should be included in the continuous and in-service education of registered nurses. Spiritual and cultural assessment criteria should be included in this education to improve the provision of holistic care.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Center Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Batool
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tirgari
authors.forename: Sedigheh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iranmanesh
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ali Cheraghi
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arefi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D018939:Holistic Nursing; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D007514:Islam; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D026443:Spiritual Therapies