Assessment of Spiritual Care Practices Among Nurses Caring for Cancer Patients in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction The importance of spirituality in health and wellness has been documented in the literature. While the developed countries have reported robust evidence of spirituality in nursing practices, there is scant evidence in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria. Objectives This study assessed the spiritual care practices of the nurses attending to cancer patients in a tertiary health institution in Ilorin. It further determined factors associated with spiritual caring practices among nurses. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2021 and December 2021 to assess spiritual care practices among nurses caring for cancer patients. During the study period, 66 nurses were recruited randomly from the hospital's medical and surgical clinics, palliative care department, and Obstetrics and Gynecology department. Twelve items validated Nurses’ spiritual care practices questionnaire was adapted for this study. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23. Results The mean age of the respondents was 36.5 years ( + 10.1) while female respondents made up 83.3%. About 48% of the nurses had good spiritual caring practices while 52% had poor spiritual caring practices. Nurses with training in oncology (96%) with p = .001 and those with spirituality training (86.2%) with p = .017 showed significant association with spiritual care practices. This study concluded that spiritual care practices among nurses are sub-optimal with training as a significantly associated factor with spiritual care practices. Conclusion It is, therefore, suggested that spiritual care practices should be incorporated into all nursing training and curriculum. This will allow them to better support the spiritual needs of the patients, especially those with chronic diseases like cancer.

Spiritual Care[Givers] Competence in Palliative Care: A Scoping Review

“…Techniques like role-playing, focus groups, reflective writing, mentorship programs, discussions on the observed delivery of holistic care, the use of art to express complex spiritual care concepts, involvement in research, tutorials, role-modeling, experiential learning, and community visits could also be beneficial in developing competence and learning in spiritual care [ 36 , 92 ]. Therefore, it is recommended that all PC training and curriculum incorporate spiritual care activities, because these enable caregivers to grow spiritually and better help others in need of spiritual guidance [ 93 , 94 ].…”

The roles of chaplains in dispelling cancer myths in Nigeria: A narrative review

“…A lot of times, inquiries about spiritual distress get brushed over because clinicians attach less importance to them. This, therefore, reveals why spiritual care practices among clinicians are suboptimal when compared with their overall clinical duties 64 . Spirituality rarely receives enough attention in the form of in‐service training or clinical meetings among clinicians 92 and if this is not properly addressed, it may become a neglected practice in healthcare settings 93 …”

“…This, therefore, reveals why spiritual care practices among clinicians are suboptimal when compared with their overall clinical duties. 64 Spirituality rarely receives enough attention in the form of in-service training or clinical meetings among clinicians 92 and if this is not properly addressed, it may become a neglected practice in healthcare settings. 93 In light of this, inadequate clinician training and expertise in offering spiritual care remains a constraining factor in chaplain care.…”

“…Chaplain practice is nonexistent in most Nigerian hospitals and only the church‐owned hospitals provide some form of pastoral care services or spiritual care through visitations and offer of prayers to patients in their hospitals due to lack of professional chaplains 63 . Therefore, the majority of patients in need of spiritual care will have to rely on the services of nurses (as major caregivers) and sometimes that of their relatives, friends, and members of their spiritual denomination 64 . Hence, an objective evaluation of spiritual assessment needs of patients becomes very impracticable in Nigeria.…”

“… 63 Therefore, the majority of patients in need of spiritual care will have to rely on the services of nurses (as major caregivers) and sometimes that of their relatives, friends, and members of their spiritual denomination. 64 Hence, an objective evaluation of spiritual assessment needs of patients becomes very impracticable in Nigeria. Despite these challenges, chaplains have roles to play in dispelling myths associated with cancer in Nigeria and their incorporation into the Nigeria healthcare system will be very crucial.…”