Spirituality is a vital component of the nursing practice since healthcare professionals and patients have to deal with the psychological burden of illness and death. Spirituality is the intrinsic component of humanity that assists in the search for meaning in life and connects us with others and ourselves (Grand Canyon University, 2020). I would define spiritual care as the nursing efforts to recognize the patients’ spiritual needs and to provide interventions supporting their faith and helping them cope with illness, trauma, or emotional distress. My definition is similar to the view of Evans (2020), who claims that helpful interventions and compassionate decision-making build the foundation of spiritual care (as cited in Grand Canyon University, 2020). The spiritual approach to the nursing practice can improve the trust, understanding, and well-being of patients.
I prioritize the mission to protect the patient’s life and health over my personal opinions. My main strengths are compassion, cultural sensitivity, and respect for healthcare ethics, so the patient’s worldview does not impact my professional decisions. My weakness is compassion fatigue, which is common in nurses dealing with illness and death while caring for diverse patients. Professional satisfaction and fatigue are polarizing aspects of the nursing practice, which significantly impact the professional quality of life (Yilmaz & Ustun, 2018). Different views on spirituality/religion often share common coping strategies, so it is crucial for the nurse to identify the patient’s support system and provide appropriate spiritual care. When the patient is unconscious, the family is the only source providing informed treatment or end-of-life decisions (Grignoli et al., 2018). Therefore, if I were the patient, my family members sharing my views on spirituality would have the final say on the decision-making and critical care interventions.
References
Grand Canyon University (Ed). (2020). Practicing dignity: An introduction to Christian values and decision making in health care. Web.
Grignoli, N., Bernardo, V. D., & Malacrida, R. (2018). New perspectives on substituted relational autonomy for shared decision-making in critical care. Critical Care, 22(260). Web.
Yilmaz, G., & Ustun, B. (2018). Professional quality of life in nurses: Compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue. Journal of Psychiatric Nursing, 9(3), 205–211. Web.