title: Understanding spirituality and spiritual care in nursing.
abstract: Spirituality is a complex concept that has different meanings for different people. Spiritual care is a fundamental aspect of nursing and attending to the spiritual needs of patients may improve their health outcomes. This article, the first in a series of three, explores various definitions of spirituality, and the importance of spirituality and spiritual care in healthcare settings. The second article of this series provides an in-depth exploration of the assessment of patients' spiritual care needs, and the third and final article in this short series discusses spiritual care nursing interventions.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Timmins
authors.affiliation: Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sílvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caldeira
keywords: belief systems; chaplaincy services; faith; holistic care; religion; spiritual care; spirituality