Religious needs of hospitalized patients

Abstract

Introduction. Meeting the religious needs of hospitalized patients is an essential part of nursing care. Their timely identification by nurses and subsequent satisfaction may lead to an easier adaptation to the hospital environment and illness, and contribute to the overall comfort of the patients. Aim. The aim of the study was to determine the religiosity of selected hospitalized patients in the premorbid and morbid period and the participation of nurses in meeting religious needs. Material and methods. To achieve the goals, we chose a qualitative method – a case study. A Spiritual Screening Tool for Older Adults and a questionnaire by Canda and Furman were used to assess spirituality and religiosity implicitly and explicitly. The respondent sample consisted of three patients hospitalized in inpatient wards of medical facilities with different gender, diagnoses and duration of the disease. Results. According to Spiritual Screening Tool for Older Adults, we found positive spiritual health in patients A, M and R. Religious needs during hospitalization were partially satisfied in patient A and fully satisfied in patients M and R, but only through individual activities (prayer, visiting the hospital chapel and others). None of the patients had their needs met by nurses. Conclusions. We recommend using the tools aimed at assessing patients’ religiosity and continue with the planning and implementation of nursing interventions accordingly. Active cooperattion with “spiritual assistants” and integrating the issue of religious needs into the content of education of future nurses are also recommended.