Spiritual care, which is deeply embedded in nursing, includes respecting, caring, loving, being fully present, and supporting one’s search for meaning ( Taylor, 2008). Taylor ( 2002) has described the process of providing spiritual care as an approach used to integrate all aspects of human beings. When using a holistic approach to healthcare, providers meet patients' physical, social, and emotional needs, as well as spiritual needs ( Murphy & Walker, 2013). Providing spiritual care has now became an integral part of holistic care in many countries, with more attention paid to spirituality throughout the healthcare arena. This shift in goals results in an increased emphasis on other parameters of health, such as religion and spirituality, as the spiritual and religious concerns of patients may be awakened or intensified near the end of life ( National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care, 2013 Lo et al., 2002). Rather, goals may shift to caring, comforting, and alleviating pain rather than providing a cure ( Institute of Medicine, 2015 Truog et al., 2008). Spiritual care, which is deeply embedded in nursing, includes respecting, caring, loving, being fully present, and supporting one’s search for meaning. Prolonging life may not be the ultimate goal of care at the end of life.

Key Words: Spirituality, spiritual care, spiritual needs, end of life, understanding spirituality, ICU nurses, Palestine, Gaza Strip, religion, spirituality The author discusses the difficulty nurses had in differentiating spiritual and religious needs, notes the study limitations, and concludes by recommending increased emphasis on the provision of spiritual care for all patients.Ĭitation: Abu-El-Noor, N., (January 28, 2016) 'ICU Nurses’ Perceptions and Practice of Spiritual Care at the End of Life: Implications for Policy Change' OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. Findings identified the following themes: meaning of spirituality and spiritual care identifying spiritual needs and taking actions to meet spiritual needs.

In this article, the author presents background studies, encouraging an increased emphasis on spiritual care, and describes the qualitative method used to study 13 ICU Gaza Strip nurses’ understanding of spiritual care. This study examined how Palestinian nurses working in intensive care units (ICUs) understand spirituality and the provision of spiritual care at the end of life. However, in busy critical care environments, nurses often feel driven to focus on patients’ physical care, possibly at the expense of emotional and spiritual care. Nurses strive to provide holistic care, including spiritual care, for all patients.

Spiritual perception definition