Spiritual nursing care knowledge, perception, and practice among nurses in secondary health care facilities in Osun State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Objective: Spiritual care is an integral part of the nursing profession, but it is not typically considered a nursing task. This study examined the Nurses' knowledge, perceptions, and practices regarding spiritual care in Osun State's secondary health care facilities.Methods: It involved descriptive cross-sectional design. Using stratified random sampling techniques, 178 respondents from secondary health care facilities in Osun State were selected at random. Utilizing a pre-tested questionnaire, data were collected and analysed using descriptive statistics. To test the hypotheses, Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) (p0.05) was utilised.Results: The majority of respondents (69.4%) had inadequate knowledge of spiritual care, while 51.8% have a positive perception. Few (18.8%) applied spiritual care during practice. A significant and positive relationship existed between spiritual care knowledge and practice (r=.498; df= 168; p = 0.01); a positive relationship was also observed between spiritual care perception and practice (r=.552; df= 168; p= 0.00).Conclusion: The respondents' inadequate understanding of spiritual care is reflected in their perceptions and practices. Recommendation: improve spiritual nursing care education and continuously update the spiritual care knowledge of practicing nurses.