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Factors influencing nurse spiritual care practices at the end of life: A systematic review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 December 2021

Rita Mascio*
Affiliation:
Institute for Ethics and Society, University of Notre Dame, Broadway, NSW, Australia
Megan Best
Affiliation:
Institute for Ethics and Society, University of Notre Dame, Broadway, NSW, Australia
Sandra Lynch
Affiliation:
Institute for Ethics and Society, University of Notre Dame, Broadway, NSW, Australia
Jane Phillips
Affiliation:
School of Nursing, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Kate Jones
Affiliation:
Institute for Ethics and Society, University of Notre Dame, Broadway, NSW, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Megan Best, University of Notre Dame, PO Box 944, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Objectives

The aim was to identify determinants of nurse spiritual/existential care practices toward end-of-life patients. Nurses can play a significant role in providing spiritual/existential care, but they actually provide this care less frequently than desired by patients.

Methods

A systematic search was performed for peer-reviewed articles that reported factors that influenced nurses’ spiritual/existential care practices toward adult end-of-life patients.

Results

The review identified 42 studies and included the views of 4,712 nurses across a range of hospital and community settings. The most frequently reported factors/domains that influenced nurse practice were patient-related social influence, skills, social/professional role and identity, intentions and goals, and environmental context and resources.

Significance of results

A range of personal, organizational, and patient-related factors influence nurse provision of spiritual/existential care to end-of-life patients. This complete list of factors can be used to gauge a unit's conduciveness to nurse provision of spiritual/existential care and can be used as inputs to nurse competency frameworks.

Type
Review Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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