Nurse's spiritual care perception in Ethiopia: A multicenter cross-sectional study

Spirituality and spiritual care are the critical components of patient care. In recent years, spirituality has been indicated as a crucial but often overlooked component of patient health. Despite their benefits, several factors prevent nurses from providing spiritual care. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the current state of spiritual care perception of nurses in Southwest Ethiopia as well as the factors influencing it.

From 1 August to 2 September 2021, an institution-based cross-sectional study was performed on nurses at five government hospitals in Southwest Ethiopia. Study participants were selected using a simple random sampling method. Data were collected using the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS). The collected data were recorded into EpiData 4.1 and SPSS version 25. Simple and multivariable linear regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with spiritual care perception. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

A total of 390 nurses were enrolled in the study, yielding a response rate of 96.8%. The mean score for nurses' perception of spiritual care for patients was moderate, that is, 3.11 ± 0.78. Age (p < 0.05), clinical experience (p < 0.05), educational status (p < 0.05), and religion (p < 0.05) were significantly associated with spiritual care perceptions.

Nurses' perception of spiritual care was moderate. It is affected by nurses' age, clinical experience, educational level, and religion. This expanding body of data should be used to notify nurse managers and nursing management personnel to provide spiritual care training, planning, and services.