Faith-Concordant Nursing Care: A Concept Analysis and Insights for Holistic Nursing.

Abstract

PurposeThis concept analysis aims to clarify the concept of faith-concordant nursing care and examine its relevance to holistic nursing practice, particularly within culturally and religiously diverse healthcare contexts.Design/MethodsA concept analysis was conducted using Walker and Avant's approach to refine and define the concept within nursing. The process included identifying the concept, reviewing its uses in literature, determining defining attributes, constructing model and related cases, and examining antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents. Literature on spiritual care, cultural competence, and holistic nursing was synthesized to inform the analysis.FindingsFaith-concordant nursing care is defined by four key attributes: shared belief alignment, cultural-religiosity competence, relational trust (theological safety), and holistic integration. Antecedents include spiritual vulnerability, self-identification of faith preferences, institutional and provider openness, and culturally and linguistically safe communication. Consequences include enhanced psychological well-being, spiritual peace, improved patient satisfaction, and strengthened therapeutic relationships.ConclusionsFaith-concordant nursing care advances holistic nursing by offering a unitary and practice-oriented framework that moves beyond general spiritual care toward intentional alignment with patients' self-identified faith beliefs and practices. The concept contributes to nursing science and has implications for nursing practice, education, future research, and healthcare systems seeking to address patients' spiritual needs more effectively.