Abstract:
Providing spiritual care is part of a holistic approach to patients that influences health outcomes. Nurses need to understand perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care as it relates to the nurse-patient relationship. Nurses may lack the knowledge and preparation to provide spiritual care (McSherry, 1 998). The purpose of this study is to describe nurses' perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care. This study is a replication of McSherry's (1998) study. The conceptual framework is the Framework of Systematic Organization (Friedemann, 1995). The framework addresses spirituality and the association to a healthy self. The population will be staff nurses in a large-sized Midwest Hospital. A sample of 200 staff nurses will be recruited from all nurses working in all areas of the hospital. The Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS) (McSherry, Draper, & Kendrick) questionnaire will be used that measure nurses' spiritual perspectives on fundamental areas pertaining to spirituality. Findings will provide information about nurses' perceptions of spirituality that may be used by staff education in hospitals to enhance patient spiritual care experiences and health outcomes.