Christian nurses’ experience of spiritual care : An interview study conducted at a Christian hospital in Myanmar

Sammanfattning: Background: It has been argued that nursing care shall be provided with a holistic approach where the human being is seen as one unit that contains body, mind, soul and spirit. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) states that patients’ spirituality shall be respected and that nurses therefore have to involve the spiritual dimension when caring for patients. Spirituality is subjective and by meeting patients’ spiritual needs and providing spiritual care interventions according to these needs, nurses can support patients and help them to find motivation in their sickness.  Aim: To describe Christian nurses’ experiences of spiritual care at a Christian hospital in Myanmar.  Method: A qualitative interview study with semi-structured interviews. Four Christian nurses with experience of spiritual care participated and in total six individual interviews were conducted. The data was analyzed using a qualitative content analysis, as described by Graneheim and Lundman.  Result: The result was divided into two categories: nurses’ view on spirituality and spiritual care and nurses’ experiences of spiritual care.  Discussion: The result is discussed using Lundmark’s definition of spiritual care as framework. The main focus is the religious approach to spiritual care. Both ethical dilemmas and positive outcomes of this approach are discussed.