Spiritual Care in Hospitalized Patients in Iran: An Action Research Study

Religious practices can raise the sense of merit and hope through overcoming the feeling of isolation. Studies conducted in this area have indicated that patients may desire to have their spiritual needs met. Nonetheless, sufficient attention has not been paid to these special needs. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the barriers to the provision of spiritual care for hospitalized patients. This is an action research study in which a total of 11 nurses and 76 hospitalized patients were recruited using purposive and convenience sampling, respectively. Data were collected using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. In the action cycles, the participants' concerns were examined, constructed, then evaluated, and re-constructed using reflective assessment. The qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed using the content analysis approach and the Mann-Whitney U, Chi-squared, and t-tests, respectively. At the first stage, the results of the content analysis showed the lack of professional knowledge and the existence of organizational barriers in the provision of spiritual care for patients. Reflection in the final stage led to the discovery of four concepts including (a) perceived advantages of change in performance, (b) being capable of providing spiritual care, (c) getting positive feedback, and (d) preparation for improving the provision of spiritual care. The results of the quantitative analysis indicated a significant increase in the mean score of patient satisfaction after the provision of spiritual care (p = .001). The results of this study led the authors to a deeper understanding of various dimensions of spiritual care among patients hospitalized in the cardiology ward and ultimately improved the patients and their families' level of satisfaction.