Extending the spirit : a qualitative secondary analysis on nurses’ perspectives on spirituality

Once laden with promise, modernization and secularization have not remedied the societal ills of our time. Individuals have begun to seek answers outside of the confines of traditional religion, often developing a personalized spirituality. As Canadian society returns its attention to spirituality, nursing acts of spiritual care arguably gain importance. The purpose of this study was to explore the influences on spirituality and spiritual caregiving in nursing practice. This qualitative secondary analysis compared and contrasted the narratives of fourteen nurses: eight from acute settings and six from community settings. The participants self-identified their spiritual/religious affiliations: Christians, Catholic, Muslim, spiritual but not religious, and not spiritual or religious. From an interpretative descriptive framework, five nested themes were identified as influencing spiritual caregiving in healthcare contexts: the nurse as custodian of spiritual caregiving, nursing acts of spiritual caregiving, professional and organizational silence, distinctive environments, and the Canadian milieu.