Philippine E-Journals

Beyond Physical Care: The Spiritual Caring Rendered by Nurses in Selected Private and Public Hospitals in Metro Manila

Angeline L. Anastacio | Adrian Lawrence Carvajal | Christina Price

 

Abstract:

The study on spiritual caring rendered by nurses in selected hospitals considered a private hospital, Our Lady of Peace Hospital (OLPH) and a public hospital, Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital (JJASGH). Majority of the nurse respondents are female, single, Catholic and within the 20-30 year-old age bracket. All the nurses are deemed knowledgeable and competent having graduated from higher education institutions offering nursing. The findings of the study reveal that the nurses have ‘very high level of spirituality’ and all of them find spirituality ‘very important’. In addition to these, spiritual beliefs and practices are ‘always’ manifested and spiritual care is ‘often’ rendered by the nurses. In terms of the relationship between spiritual beliefs and practices and spiritual care, both values imply a marked moderate positive correlation. This indicates that the greater a nurse’s spiritual care perceptions are the more frequently spiritual care is included in one’s nursing practice. To further enhance the level of spiritual care rendered by the nurses to the patients, a number of recommendations were considered by the researchers which include activities that would promote spiritual awareness, strengthen interpersonal relationships with patients, provision of religious articles and activities, among others.