Spirituality and its influence on the Care of Patients

Paper instructions

What would spirituality be according to your own worldview? How do you believe that your conception of spirituality would influence the way in which you care for patients?
* Please, be informed that the essence is major, TWO pages ordered may not be full if it would be a spoiler.
APA 7TH Edition.
– Thesis contains essence of the paper.
– Include appropriate *Bible and other religious quotations as appropriate.
_ Clear, standard, academic English
– All format elements are correct
– Sources are completely and correctly documented as appropriate.

ANSWER

My Conception of Spirituality and Its Influence on the Care of Patients

Spirituality is one of the most important aspects of nursing with significant implications on individuals’ health and general wellbeing. Assessing patients’ spiritual needs and providing spiritual care are part of the roles of a nurse. Despite this, the aspect of spirituality is often ignored. This is due to the challenges associated with its conceptualization and integration into nursing practice. The current paper discusses the meaning of spirituality based on the writer’s worldview. It also examines how the writer’s conceptualization of the concept would influence the way she cares for patients.

Meaning of Spirituality

Defining spirituality is not an easy task since it depends on the beliefs held about it. Yet the beliefs vary from one person to another. According to the worldview of the writer, spirituality is a concept that can be used to define one’s faith in the existence of a higher power that is greater than him or her. It explains one’s relationship and connectedness to the power. As Glattfelder (2019) asserts, there is a certain realm whose existence is beyond life on earth and death. The higher power is in charge of this realm.

The writer also believes that spirituality gives one hope. It is a way through which a person finds meaning and purpose in life. When individuals are sick, spirituality becomes the source of comfort. For instance, spirituality gives Christians hope to face diseases and death. Christians have faith in Jesus. His endless healing miracles in the Bible demonstrate that diseases have no power over those who believe in him. Christians also believe that even if they die, there is life after death. It is clearly stated in the Bible that the human body “…. is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” (New International Version, 2011, 1 Corinthians 15: 44). This verse demonstrates Christians’ strong believe in resurrection.

Spirituality versus Patient Care   

The writer’s conception of spirituality shows that this aspect definitely influences his provision of care services to patients. As a nurse, the writer understands that spirituality plays a significant role in the life of a patient. The spiritual wellbeing of a patient is associated with positive health outcomes, including reducing pain, lowering risk of stress and depression, and enhancing tolerance to physical and emotional demands of an illness (Rachel et al., 2019). Therefore, the writer understands that patients that receive good spiritual care tend to be highly satisfied with treatment and hospital care. In contrast, those who receive inadequate spiritual care report dissatisfaction with healthcare services.

It is also important to note that the writer seems to understand the importance of spiritual needs in the assessment and care of patients. Research work shows that spiritual distress is likely to occur at any point in the journey of a patient (Rushton, 2014; Giske & Cone’ 2015). Therefore, nurses need to be prepared on how to effectively assess the spiritual needs of different patients under their care. This will help to promote positive treatment outcomes. During the assessment, patients who demonstrate high level of spiritual commitment tend to experience enhanced recovery from diseases.

Conclusion

The writer’s conceptualization of the terms spirituality is that it is a belief in a higher power that is beyond human understanding. This power influences patients’ ability to cope with diseases. Those who show high commitment to spirituality tend to exhibit better treatment than those who demonstrate low commitment. It also needs to be pointed out that spirituality makes nurses to conduct themselves in an ethical and moral manner. It enables them to demonstrate empathy in the process of trying to understand the care needs of their patients. This leads to positive patient outcomes.

References:

Giske T. & Cone, P. H. (2015). Discerning the healing path–how nurses assist patient spirituality in diverse health care settings. J Clin Nurs, 24 (19-20): 2926–35. https://doi.10.1111/jocn.12907. Epub 2015 Jul 27.

Glattfelder, J. B. (2019). The Consciousness of Reality. Information—Consciousness—Reality: 515-595. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03633-1_14

New International Version (2011). New International Version. BibleGateway.com. www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/#booklist

Rachel, H., Chiara, C., Robert, K. & Francesco, S. (2019). Spiritual care in nursing: an overview of the measures used to assess spiritual care provision and related factors amongst nurses. Acta Biomed, 90 (4): 44-55.  https://doi.10.23750/abm.v90i4-S.8300

Rushton, L. (2014). What are the barriers to spiritual care in a hospital setting? Br J Nurs, 23 (7): 370–374.  https://doi.10.12968/bjon.2014.23.7.370.