Spiritual needs of patients

Abstract

Nurses who are committed to care of the biopsy-chosocial-spiritual person should have a sound knowledge base of patient needs and problems. Despite the fact that nursing learning opportunities include content about clients' physical and psychosocial needs, information about spiritual needs is often limited. This descriptive study, therefore, was designed to identify nurses' awareness of patients' spiritual concerns. Using an investigator-designed instrument based on an operationalization of Clinebell's “religious-existential” framework, 100 surgical nurses working with oncology patients were surveyed. Thirty-five respondents indicated a limited awareness of spiritual needs and problems. These nurses identified many spiritual needs and problems with the psychosocial dimension. With one exception, only patients' expressions of specific religious beliefs and practices were identified with the spiritual dimension. Respondents thought such behaviors and conditions occurred infrequently among their patients.