title: The Importance of Spiritual Care in Nursing Practice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Explore what spiritual care means to nurses who work in emergency care units.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine nursing professionals from an emergency care unit at a private health institution affiliated with the Universidad de La Sabana participated in this descriptive qualitative study. Nonparticipant observation, field notes, and in-depth interviews with a question guide were used to collect the data, which were analyzed by means of content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three themes and their corresponding subthemes were identified with respect to the significance of spiritual care: (1) interpretation of spiritual care, (2) the patient and the family in spiritual care, and (3) the role of the nurse in spiritual care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings provide a deeper understanding of spiritual care in terms of its significance. They also acknowledge its importance to nursing practice in emergency care units. The significance of spiritual care is based on theoretical, scientific, and humanistic points of reference (the discipline of nursing) that strengthen the therapeutic relationship between the patient/family-nurse dyad. The study also offers evidence for holistic nursing practice that requires theoretical-academic, administrative, and assistance support.
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Veloza-Gómez
authors.affiliation: University of La Sabana, Chía-Cundinamarca, Colombia.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Muñoz de Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: National Vocational Training Service (SENA), Bogotá-Cundimarca, Colombia.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guevara-Armenta
authors.affiliation: University Foundation of Navarra, Neiva-Huila, Colombia.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mesa-Rodríguez
keywords: evidence-based nursing; holistic nursing; hospital emergency care units; nursing; nursing care; qualitative research; spirituality