Attitude toward Spirituality and Spiritual Care among Nurses, Nursing Faculty Members and Nursing Students at Jahrom University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Health is a multidimensional subject including physical, mental, social, and spiritual items. The nurses’ spirituality and provision of spiritual care are interrelated. Accordingly, this study aimed to determine the attitude toward spirituality and spiritual care among nurses, nursing faculty members, and nursing students. Methods: This cross-sectional and analytical study was conducted in 2018 at Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran. The statistical population of the study included 500 nurses, nursing faculty members, and nursing students who were enrolled in the study using a census method. The study tools included a demographic information form, as well as a spirituality and spiritual care rating scale (SSCRS) with 23 questions in two basic sections: "spirituality" and "spiritual care". After obtaining informed consent from the individuals, the questionnaires were completed, and the data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 16). Results: In this study, 455 questionnaires were completed. In total, 62.2% of respondents were female and their mean age was 27.19±6.68 years. The mean total score of spirituality and spiritual care was obtained at 67±13.83. Moreover, 66.4% of participants achieved high levels of spirituality and spiritual care attitude. Attitude to spirituality and spiritual care were not significantly associated with age, gender, and clinical experiences (P>0.05). Conclusion: According to the Result of the present study, attitudes toward spirituality and spiritual care among nurses, nursing faculty members, and nursing students were desirable. Although a desirable attitude towards spirituality and spiritual care is the first step in paying attention to the spiritual needs of patients and providing spiritual care, it alone is not sufficient. If these concepts that are influenced by the cultural and religious background of society rather than by scientific and academic education, are neglected, learning will not meet the spiritual needs of all patients.