Spiritual care in Australian general practice nursing: An interpretive descriptive study

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Primary Health Care
• Spirituality Studies

Background:

• Spiritual care is recognized as integral to holistic and person-centered patient care.
• Existing research on spiritual care in nursing is documented across diverse global contexts.
• A gap exists in understanding spiritual care from the nurse's perspective within Australian General Practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore practice nurses' views on spirituality and spiritual care.
• To understand nurses' experiences with providing spiritual care in primary healthcare.
• To identify barriers and enablers to spiritual care in Australian General Practice.

Main Methods:

• An interpretive description study design was employed.
• Data were collected from eight practice nurses.
• Interviews focused on views of spirituality, spiritual care experiences, and practices.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: personal importance of spirituality, spiritual care as person-centered care, specific spiritual care practices, and identified barriers/enablers.
• Nurses highlighted a need for enhanced education and practical tools to provide spiritual care.
• Participants advocated for incorporating prompts into general practice documentation templates to address spiritual needs.

Conclusions:

• Practice nurses require improved education and resources to effectively deliver spiritual care.
• Integrating spiritual care prompts into documentation is recommended for Australian General Practice.
• Addressing spiritual needs is crucial for comprehensive, person-centered primary healthcare.