Abstract
Religious practices can raise the sense of merit and hope through overcoming the feeling of isolation. Studies conducted in this area have indicated that patients may desire to have their spiritual needs met. Nonetheless, sufficient attention has not been paid to these special needs. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the barriers to the provision of spiritual care for hospitalized patients. This is an action research study in which a total of 11 nurses and 76 hospitalized patients were recruited using purposive and convenience sampling, respectively. Data were collected using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. In the action cycles, the participants' concerns were examined, constructed, then evaluated, and re-constructed using reflective assessment. The qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed using the content analysis approach and the Mann–Whitney U, Chi-squared, and t-tests, respectively. At the first stage, the results of the content analysis showed the lack of professional knowledge and the existence of organizational barriers in the provision of spiritual care for patients. Reflection in the final stage led to the discovery of four concepts including (a) perceived advantages of change in performance, (b) being capable of providing spiritual care, (c) getting positive feedback, and (d) preparation for improving the provision of spiritual care. The results of the quantitative analysis indicated a significant increase in the mean score of patient satisfaction after the provision of spiritual care (p = .001). The results of this study led the authors to a deeper understanding of various dimensions of spiritual care among patients hospitalized in the cardiology ward and ultimately improved the patients and their families' level of satisfaction.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Acar-Ciftci, Y. (2020). Bridging knowledge and action in the workplace: An evaluation on internship learning outcomes of child development associate degree program students. Journal of Education and Learning, 9(3), 174–186. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v9n3p174
Albashayreh, A., Al-Rawajfah, O. M., Huda, A. A., Karkada, S., & Al Sabei, S. D. (2019). Psychometric properties of an Arabic version of the patient satisfaction with nursing care quality questionnaire. The Journal of Nursing Research, 27(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1097/jnr.0000000000000273
Ali, J., Marhemat, F., Sara, J., & Hamid, H. (2015). The relationship between spiritual well-being and quality of life among elderly people. Holistic Nursing Practice, 29(3), 128–135. https://doi.org/10.1097/HNP.0000000000000081
Brekelmans, G., Poell, R. F., & van Wijk, K. (2013). Factors influencing continuing professional development. European Journal of Training and Development. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090591311312769
Brémault-Phillips, S., Olson, J., Brett-MacLean, P., Oneschuk, D., Sinclair, S., Magnus, R., Weis, J., Abbasi, M., Parmar, J., & Puchalski, C. M. (2015). Integrating spirituality as a key component of patient care. Religions, 6(2), 476–498. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6020476
Daher, M., Chaar, B., & Saini, B. (2015). Impact of patients’ religious and spiritual beliefs in pharmacy: From the perspective of the pharmacist. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 11(1), e31–e41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2014.05.004
Edvardsson, B., Tronvoll, B., & Gruber, T. (2011). Expanding understanding of service exchange and value co-creation: A social construction approach. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39(2), 327–339. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-010-0200-y
Jaberi, A., Momennasab, M., Yektatalab, S., Ebadi, A., & Cheraghi, M. A. (2017). Spiritual health: A concept analysis. Journal of Religion and Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-017-0379-z
Jadidi, A., Sadeghian, E., Khodaveisi, M., & Fallahi-Khoshknab, M. (2021). Spiritual needs of the muslim elderly living in nursing homes: A qualitative study. Journal of Religion and Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01263-0
Kamali, Z., Tafazoli, M., Ebrahimi, M., Hosseini, M., Saki, A., Fayyazi-Bordbar, M. R., Mohebi-Dehnavi, Z., & Saber-Mohammad, A. (2018). Effect of spiritual care education on postpartum stress disorder in women with preeclampsia. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 7(1), 73. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_170_17
Kendrick, L., & Hughes, T. (2021). Establishment of Best Practice Skills for Advanced Practice Nurses. Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts. University of San Diego. https://doi.org/10.22371/07.2021.007
Khomeiran, R. T., Yekta, Z. P., Kiger, A., & Ahmadi, F. (2006). Professional competence: Factors described by nurses as influencing their development. International Nursing Review, 53(1), 66–72. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-7657.2006.00432.x
Kimball, C. N., Boyatzis, C. J., Cook, K. V., Leonard, K. C., & Flanagan, K. S. (2013). Attachment to God: A qualitative exploration of emerging adults’ spiritual relationship with God. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 41(3), 175–188. https://doi.org/10.1177/009164711304100301
Koon, J. (2020). Staff nurses’ perception of the hemodialysis unit as practice environment and patients’ perception of nurse caring behaviors and their level of satisfaction. Journal of Health and Caring Sciences, 2(1), 4–18. https://doi.org/10.37719/jhcs.2020.v2i1.oa001
Küçük Alemdar, D., Kardaş Özdemir, F., & Güdücü Tüfekci, F. (2018). The effect of spiritual care on stress levels of mothers in NICU. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 40(7), 997–1011. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945916686775
Lasater, K., Nielsen, A. E., Stock, M., & Ostrogorsky, T. L. (2015). Evaluating the clinical judgment of newly hired staff nurses. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 46(12), 563–571. https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20151112-09
Leykum, L. K., Pugh, J. A., Lanham, H. J., Harmon, J., & McDaniel, R. R. (2009). Implementation research design: Integrating participatory action research into randomized controlled trials. Implementation Science, 4(1), 69. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-4-69
Lin, C. H., Siao, S. F., Tung, H. H., Chung, K. P., & Shun, S. C. (2021). The gaps of healthcare service quality in nurse practitioner practice and its associated factors from the patients’ perspective. Journal of Nursing Scholarship. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12641
Macfarlane, J. (2021). Positive psychology and the I-FLOW model: A new dynamic model of homeostatic wellbeing for mental health nursing. British Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 10(2), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjmh.2021.0006
Melhem, G. A. B., Zeilani, R. S., Zaqqout, O. A., Aljwad, A. I., Shawagfeh, M. Q., & Abd Al-Rahim, M. (2016). Nurses’ perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care giving: A comparison study among all health care sectors in Jordan. Indian Journal of Palliative Care, 22(1), 42. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1075.173949
Memaryan, N., Rassouli, M., & Mehrabi, M. (2016). Spirituality concept by health professionals in Iran: A qualitative study. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/8913870
Meretoja, R., & Leino-Kilpi, H. (2003). Comparison of competence assessments made by nurse managers and practising nurses. Journal of Nursing Management, 11(6), 404–409. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2834.2003.00413.x
Neuss, M. N., Polovich, M., McNiff, K., Esper, P., Gilmore, T. R., LeFebvre, K. B., Schulmeister, L., & Jacobson, J. O. (2013). 2013 updated American Society of Clinical Oncology/Oncology Nursing Society chemotherapy administration safety standards including standards for the safe administration and management of oral chemotherapy. Journal of Oncology Practice, 9(2S), 5s–13s. https://doi.org/10.1200/JOP.2013.000874
O’Connell, J., Gardner, G., & Coyer, F. (2014). Beyond competencies: Using a capability framework in developing practice standards for advanced practice nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 70(12), 2728–2735. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12475
Oman, D. (2018). Clinical practice, religion, and spirituality. In D. Oman (Ed.) Why religion and spirituality matter for public health (pp. 245–260). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73966-3_14
Potvin, L., & Jones, C. M. (2011). Twenty-five years after the Ottawa Charter: The critical role of health promotion for public health. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 102(4), 244–248. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404041
Shelly, S., Simanjorang, A., & Yuniati, Y. (2021). Analysis of the effect of health service quality on patient satisfaction in internal medicine inpatient room of Hospital Level II Military Area Health Medan. Journal La Medihealtico, 2(2), 124–130. https://doi.org/10.37899/journallamedihealtico.v2i2.337
Stroppa, A., Colugnati, F. A., Koenig, H. G., & Moreira-Almeida, A. (2018). Religiosity, depression, and quality of life in bipolar disorder: A two-year prospective study. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 40, 238–243. https://doi.org/10.1590/1516-4446-2017-2365
Tajbakhsh, F., Hosseini, M., Fallahi-Khoshknab, M., Rokofian, A., Rahgozar, M., & Mary Davidson, P. (2018). The effect of spiritual care on depression in patients following coronary artery bypass surgery: A randomized controlled trial. Religions, 9(5), 159. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9050159
Taylor, E. J., Petersen, C., Oyedele, O., & Haase, J. (eds.) (2015). Spirituality and spiritual care of adolescents and young adults with cancer. Seminars in Oncology Nursing, 31(3), 227–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soncn.2015.06.002
Acknowledgements
The current study is a part of a research project which obtained approval from Arak University of Medical Sciences. The researchers hereby express their gratitude to the members of Nursing and Midwifery Faculty and research Vice-Chancellor of Arak University of Medical Sciences as well as the mangers and personnel of Amirkabir Medical Education Hospital.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest and no source of funding in the current study.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Harorani, M., Jadidi, A., Zand, S. et al. Spiritual Care in Hospitalized Patients in Iran: An Action Research Study. J Relig Health 61, 3822–3839 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01302-w
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01302-w