Intensive Care Nurses' Perspectives on Providing Spiritual Care in Denmark: A Qualitative Study

To explore how intensive care nurses in Denmark define and experience the provision of spiritual care to patients and families in the intensive care unit (ICU).

A qualitative study grounded in the phenomenological-hermeneutic tradition was conducted to gain insights into the nurses' experiences and understanding of spiritual care. This approach allowed for a deep exploration of spiritual care from the perspective of ICU nurses.

The study was part of the first author's master's thesis at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) and received approval from the university's legal services. Written consent was obtained from all participants.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five purposefully selected ICU nurses from a university hospital in Denmark. Thematic analysis, following Braun and Clarke's framework, was used to analyze the data.

Four themes were identified: (1) defining spiritual care, (2) empathy in the face of suffering, (3) getting to know the patient and family, and (4) the timing and prioritization of spiritual care. Nurses described spiritual care as essential yet challenging to define. They emphasized the importance of empathy and connection in addressing patient suffering, often integrating patients' values and beliefs into their care.

Findings are based on interviews with five nurses from a single ICU, which may limit generalizability. Future research should explore the perspectives of ICU patients on spiritual care, particularly within a secular context like Denmark.

While the nurses found it difficult to articulate a clear definition of spiritual care, they considered it an integral aspect of their practice. Spiritual care often involved recognizing the humanity in patients and their families and incorporating their life values into nursing care. Balancing the need for spiritual care with the clinical demands of the ICU was challenging but rewarding for the nurses.