Proposing a conceptual framework of spiritual care competence for Chinese nurses

Spiritual Care Competencies and the Frequency of Spiritual Care Practices of Nurses in Turkey

This descriptive study aimed at determining the spiritual care competencies and the frequency of spiritual care practices of nurses. A total of 119 nurses working in the palliative care unit, oncology services, and intensive care units of a state hospital in Turkey participated in the study. The data were collected by the  Participant Information Form, Spiritual Care Competence Scale, and Nurse Spiritual Care Therapeutics Scale. Spiritual care competencies of the nurses were found to be high; the frequency of spiritual care practices was determined as moderate. We found a positive correlation between the spiritual care competencies and the frequency of spiritual care practices of nurses. There was a significant difference between nurses' received spiritual care training status and their scale scores. In addition, nurses who believed that spiritual care was an important part of nursing care, and an important need of patients, had higher scale scores.

Spiritual Care[Givers] Competence in Palliative Care: A Scoping Review

To deliver spiritual care, professionals must be skilled in physical, mental, social, and spiritual care. Spiritual care competence includes knowledge, behaviors, attitudes, and skills that enable successful or efficient care. This review aims to identify the scope of competence and the specific skills, knowledge, and attitudes used in providing spiritual care to people needing palliative care, and the main challenges and facilitators. A scoping review was developed using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. Six databases (Web of Science; MEDLINE/Pubmed; Scopus; CINAHL; MedicLatina and SciELO) were searched in September 2023, with an update in January 2024. The resulting 30 articles were analyzed using a content analysis approach. Information was categorized into three domains: cognitive, affective, and functional (based on three personal resources: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal). Palliative care professionals face a lack of training and insufficient preparation to deliver spiritual care. Spiritual care competence depends on professional spiritual development and experience, spiritual intelligence (cognitive), spiritual humility (affective), and having a critical and reflexive mind (functional). In the future, palliative care should seek to improve competent spiritual care. This review could help clarify the real configuration of competent spiritual care and lead to improvements in a professional's empowerment when delivering effective spiritual care to patients and families.

The relationship between resilience and quality of life in advanced cancer survivors: multiple mediating effects of social support and spirituality

Background

While previous studies have revealed a positive association between resilience and quality of life in advanced cancer survivors, the mechanisms of the relationship is still unclear. This study aimed to explore the relationships between resilience, social support, spirituality, and quality of life and determine the multiple mediation effects of social support and spirituality on the relationship between resilience and quality of life.

Methods

With 286 advanced cancer survivors, a cross-sectional, correlational survey was adopted using convenience sampling. Resilience, social support, spirituality, and quality of life were evaluated by self-report questionnaires. The PROCESS macro for SPSS was used to test the multiple mediation model.

Results

The scores for resilience, social support, spirituality and quality of life were positively correlated with one another. Resilience was found to be directly impact quality of life. Meanwhile, the relationship between resilience and quality of life was mediated by social support (effect = 0.067, 95% CI [0.019, 0.120]) and by spirituality (effect = 0.221, 95% CI [0.134, 0.332]), respectively, and by these two serially (effect = 0.036, 95% CI [0.015, 0.067]).

Conclusion

Social support and spirituality played multiple mediating roles in the relationship between resilience and quality of life. Interventions aimed at increasing resilience, and then boosting social support and spirituality may be beneficial for promoting quality of life of advanced cancer survivors.

Correlations among spiritual care competence, spiritual care perceptions and spiritual health of Chinese nurses: A cross-sectional correlational study

BACKGROUND

The significance of spiritual care competence among nurses has been emphasized across countries and cultures in many studies. However, there were few studies on correlations among spiritual care competence, spiritual care perceptions, and spiritual health of nurses in China.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate spiritual care competence, spiritual care perceptions, and spiritual health, and examine the correlations among spiritual care competence, spiritual care perceptions and spiritual health, and the mediating role of spiritual health between other two variables of Chinese nurses.

METHODS

A cross-sectional and correlational design was implemented, and the STROBE Checklist was used to report the study. A convenience sample of 2,181 nurses were selected from 17 hospitals in 3 provinces, China. Participants provided data on sociodemographic by completing the Chinese Version of the Spiritual Care Competence Scale, the Chinese Version of the Spiritual Care-Giving Scale, and the Spiritual Health Scale Short Form. Descriptive statistics, univariate, multiple linear regression, and Pearson correlation analysis were used to analyze data.

RESULTS

The total scores of spiritual care competence, spiritual care perceptions, and spiritual health were 58.25 ± 16.21, 144.49 ± 16.87, and 84.88 ± 10.57, respectively, which both were moderate. Spiritual care competence was positively correlated with spiritual care perceptions (r = 0.653, p < 0.01) and spiritual health (r = 0.587, p < 0.01). And spiritual health played a mediating role between the other two variables (accounting for 35.6%).

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

The spiritual care competence, spiritual care perceptions, and spiritual health of Chinese nurses need to be improved. It is recommended that nursing managers should pay attention to spiritual care education of nurses, and improve spiritual care perceptions and spiritual health in multiple ways, so as to improve their spiritual care competence and to maximize the satisfy spiritual care needs of patients in China.

Factors Associated with Behaviors Toward End-of-life Care Among Chinese Oncology Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

PURPOSE

The goal of this study was to describe the current status of oncology nurses' behaviors toward end of life (EOL) care in China and to explore the factors associated with oncology nurses' behaviors toward EOL care.

METHODS

A cross-sectional design was applied and a convenience sample of 1038 oncology nurses from 22 grade A hospitals were recruited into this study. A general social demographic data questionnaire was administered, and the Chinese version of Nurses' Behaviors of Caring for Dying Patients Scale was used to assess nurse behavior toward EOL care. The total score ranges from 40 to 200 points. Data were analyzed with SPSS 26.0 software.

RESULTS

Chinese oncology nurses' average score of holistic EOL care behaviors was 2.97 ± 0.59. Oncology nurses provide physical care most (3.81 ± 0.76), followed by family care (3.02 ± 0.86), and spiritual care (2.37 ± 0.67). Multiple regression analysis showed that a higher frequency of sharing EOL care experience with colleagues, in-service palliative care education, higher level of head nurse support for EOL patient care, more cases of EOL care, higher working position, and nurse's perceived high level of support were positively associated with behavior toward EOL care. These six factors explained 16.2% of the total variance.

CONCLUSIONS

The results may help provide a basis for converting behavior for EOL care among oncology nurses and design interventions to better improve quality of life for EOL patients with cancer in China.

Association between attitude towards death and spiritual care competence of Chinese oncology nurses: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUNDS

An understanding of the oncology nurse spiritual care competence would help nurse managers recognize weakness in spiritual practice and improve the quality of spiritual care. But the relationship between attitude towards death and spiritual care competence is unknown.

METHODS

We recruited 326 nurses from hospitals in Guangzhou, China. The nurses completed the Chinese Spiritual Care Competence Scale and the Chinese Death Attitude Profile-Revised questionnaires.

RESULTS

The total score of spiritual care competence was 61.62 ± 16.10. And the lowest score of attitude towards death was for escape acceptance, 2.64 ± 0.82. Factors associated with nurse spiritual care competence were work department, whether trained in spiritual care, approaching acceptance, and escaping acceptance of attitude towards death.

CONCLUSION

Nurses need to perfect their spiritual care competence and establish positive attitudes towards death.