Implementing a Spiritual Care Subject for Holistic Nursing Practice: A Mixed Method Study.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Holistic Care
• Spiritual Care

Background:

• Nurses often lack adequate preparation for spiritual care due to insufficient education.
• International studies highlight a gap in spiritual care training for nurses.
• Holistic care models increasingly emphasize the importance of spiritual well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the implementation of a spiritual care subject in an undergraduate nursing program.
• To examine nursing students' perceptions of providing spiritual care within their holistic practice.
• To assess the impact of dedicated spiritual care education on nursing students' preparedness.

Main Methods:

• A sequential explanatory mixed-method design was employed.
• Quantitative data collection was followed by qualitative data collection.
• Participants were undergraduate nursing students at an Australian faith-based university.

Main Results:

• The spiritual care subject positively transformed participants' knowledge and practice of spiritual care.
• Students reported an enhanced perception of their ability to provide spiritual care.
• The educational intervention increased confidence in integrating spiritual care into holistic practice.

Conclusions:

• The spiritual care subject demonstrated an affirmative influence on nursing students' perceptions and practice.
• Findings suggest incorporating spiritual care content into undergraduate nursing curricula is beneficial.
• Nurse educators should consider strategies for effective spiritual care education delivery.