Nurse’s Perception of Competence in Providing Spiritual Care for Patients

Abstract

Abstract: Background and Purpose: Spiritual care is an important part of nursing. One of requirements for providing appropriate spiritual care for patients is having required competence. Spiritual care improve patient’s health. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the perception of nurses of their competence in providing spiritual cares for patients hospitalize in medical-educational centers of Tabriz.

Materials and methods: this is cross sectional-analytical research which is conducted on 555 nurses of medical- education centers in Tabriz in 2014. Data were gathered using two-pat questionnaire including demographic information and spiritual care competence scale (SCCS). Date analysis was done using descriptive. (Frequency, percent, mean, standard deviation) and inferential (independent t, Pearson, spearman, ANOVA turkey test) statistic using SPSS 21 software.

Finding: results showed that mean score for nurses perception of their competence in providing spiritual care for patients was average 95.2 (14.4). Mean score of nurses perception of their competence in providing spiritual care in each aspect was significantly higher than average (P<0.05). Highest score related to individual support and consulting with patients, 21.1 (4.0) and the least score was for reference to experts, 9.5 (2.3). Type of employment and experience in participating workshops had significant relationship with the nurses perception of their competence for providing spiritual care (P<0.05).

Conclusion: research finding indicate that authorities and planners should take steps in planning for nurses training in relation with promotion of their competence in providing spiritual care for patients; therefore, holing workshops is necessary in this field. 48.