Related Experiment Videos
Spiritual-care process and content: lessons learned from the ECHO Project.
Julia B Graham1, Barbara L Brush, Reverend Maureen Andrew
1Boston Hathcare for the Homless, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA.
Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
|November 11, 2003
Summary
This study explored spiritual caregiving by a minister to homeless male addicts in recovery. Findings suggest ministers may effectively deliver specialized spiritual care within primary care teams, complementing advanced practice nurses' roles.
Area of Science:
- Spiritual caregiving
- Addiction recovery
- Advanced practice nursing
Background:
- Holistic care models mandate spiritual care integration by advanced practice nurses (APNs).
- The practical application of spiritual care by APNs faces challenges due to time and specialization constraints.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detail the spiritual caregiving process and content provided by a minister to homeless men in recovery.
- To assess the feasibility and methods for APNs to incorporate similar spiritual counseling into their practice.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of clinical session notes from a minister providing spiritual care to 18 homeless male addicts.
- Review of findings alongside existing literature on nurses' roles in spiritual care.
Main Results:
- Identified specific procedures and content within the minister's spiritual counseling sessions.
- Highlighted the specialized and time-sensitive nature of effective spiritual caregiving.
Conclusions:
- While APNs are tasked with spiritual care, ministers may offer more effective, specialized support within primary care.
- Collaboration between ministers and APNs can enhance holistic patient care, especially under resource constraints.