Spiritual Care: A Description of Family Members’ Preferences of Spiritual Care Nursing Practices in Intensive Care Units in a Private Hospital in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa

Abstract

Background: Spiritual care is a part of the holistic care that enables family members in intensive care units to find meaning in their life events and simultaneously bolsters their resilience and coping tools. Objective: To determine family members’ preferences of spiritual care practices that they require from nurses working in intensive care units. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in the intensive care units of a private hospital in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Data, using the Nurse Spiritual Therapeutic Scale, were collected from a purposive sample of family members (N = 47). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The mean overall Nurse Spiritual Therapeutic Scale was 58.4 (20–80). The most preferred and least preferred spiritual care practices by family members were “to be helped to have quiet time and space”, (M = 3.32, SD = 0.59) and “to arrange for a chaplain to visit them” (M = 2.70, SD= 0.91), respectively. Conclusion: The mean overall NSTS score indicated that there was a strong preference among family members for nurses to provide them with spiritual care in the intensive care units. However, due to the diversity of family members’ preferences it remains important that family members guide intensive care nurses in their spiritual care.