Nurses' Description of Institutional Factors Affecting Spiritual Care
Gay Byington Hill, M.S.N.

This study investigated a cross-section of clinical nurses' description of institutional factors affecting their recognition of clients' spiritual needs and their delivery of spiritual care. A volunteer convenience sample of 60 American nurses, 87% RN and 13% LVN/LPN, with recent clinical experience was surveyed by mail.

Institutional formats for shift-change report, admission assessments, and care plans were found to help nurses assess spiritual needs and plan spiritual care in direct proportion to the amount of structured specifics pertinent to the spiritual dimension which they contained. Heavy case loads or busy units were reported as a significant reason why nurses seldom accomplished spiritual care. In services on spiritual care, 12-Step recovery plans, and contact with clergy or nuns were reported to encourage nurses' spiritual care. The most outstanding need assayed was for a concrete systematic "spiritual needs assessment guide" to be a routine part of nursing admission assessments.