Abstract
Aim/Question
To explore mental health nurses’ ́understandings of spiritual need and their experiences of delivering this care for service users.
Method
A qualitative study was conducted in one NHS mental health service. Interviews were undertaken with seventeen mental health nurses practising in a variety of areas.
Results
Four themes were generated from thematic analysis of data in the template style: Expressing personal perspectives on spirituality; Expressing perspectives on spirituality as a nursing professional; Nursing spiritually; Permeating anxiety (integrative).
Discussion
Participants had complex understandings of spiritual need and evident anxieties in relation to this area of care. Two different approaches to nursing spiritually are characterised as [i] pragmatic (concerned with procedural aspects of care) and [ii] spiritually empathetic. Mental health nurses were uncertain about the acceptability of attention to spiritual issues as part of care and anxious about distinguishing between symptoms of mental ill health and spiritual needs.
Implications for Practice
Nursing educational experiences need to emphasise both pragmatic and empathetic approaches and work needs to be organised to support good practice.
To explore mental health nurses’ ́understandings of spiritual need and their experiences of delivering this care for service users.
Method
A qualitative study was conducted in one NHS mental health service. Interviews were undertaken with seventeen mental health nurses practising in a variety of areas.
Results
Four themes were generated from thematic analysis of data in the template style: Expressing personal perspectives on spirituality; Expressing perspectives on spirituality as a nursing professional; Nursing spiritually; Permeating anxiety (integrative).
Discussion
Participants had complex understandings of spiritual need and evident anxieties in relation to this area of care. Two different approaches to nursing spiritually are characterised as [i] pragmatic (concerned with procedural aspects of care) and [ii] spiritually empathetic. Mental health nurses were uncertain about the acceptability of attention to spiritual issues as part of care and anxious about distinguishing between symptoms of mental ill health and spiritual needs.
Implications for Practice
Nursing educational experiences need to emphasise both pragmatic and empathetic approaches and work needs to be organised to support good practice.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing |
| Early online date | 8 Sept 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 16 Sept 2019 |