The Role of the Nurse in Providing Spiritual Care: A Case Study Approach to Exploring Specific Care Provision by Healthcare Workers in the Context of an Interdisciplinary Healthcare Team

Abstract

The role of nurses within the multidisciplinary healthcare team is to support patients as they navigate health-illness transition. As the discipline has grown, so too has the knowledge that informs nursing practices. Nursing process relates to nursing clinical reasoning when caring for patients as individuals in a holistic paradigm, from assessment to outcomes evaluation, which should include spiritual needs. This chapter will: 1. Explore nursing care, outlining heritage and theories. 2. Describe spiritual care, particularly that provided by nurses. 3. Provide instruments (scales and classifications) for performing nursing process, based on a case.