Content Analysis of the Meaning of Spiritual Care as Perceived by Nursing Students

PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe the meaning of spiritual care as perceived by nursing students. METHODS: This study used a descriptive research design, and the participants were 126 fourth-year nursing students from three nursing colleges. Data were collected from August to September 2019, and were analyzed using the content analysis method. RESULTS: Four themes of spiritual care with 15 sub-themes were extracted from the content analysis 1) “promoting spiritual well-being” (sub-themes “providing religious help”, “caring for the patient as a spiritual being”, and “presupposing human dignity regardless of religion”); 2) “taking place in actual nursing practice” (representative sub-themes “considering the perspective of the patient”, “reducing suffering”); 3) “caring for the multifaceted needs of human beings” (representative sub-themes “providing physical, mental, and spiritual care”, “caring for both the mental and physical health of the patient”), and 4) “growing together” (sub-themes “positively affecting patient well-being”, “beginning with the nurse’s self-transcendence”). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that nursing students consider spiritual care to be a highly positive and practical form of nursing care. However, because few students have been exposed to religion and spirituality, more systematic training should be provided.