Knowledge, attitudes and spiritual care practices of nurses in selected tertiary hospitals in Roxas City

Abstract

This descriptive-relational study was conducted in order to determine the knowledge, attitudes and spiritual care practices of nurses in selected tertiary hospitals in Roxas City. Specifically, it sought to describe the personal characteristics of the respondents in terms of age, sex, civil status, length of service and religious affiliation and its relationship to their knowledge, attitudes and spiritual care practices. It also sought to determine whether there is a significant relationship between the personal characteristics of the respondents and their knowledge, attitude and spiritual care practices. Moreover, it tried to determine whether there is a relationship between level of knowledge and attitude, level of knowledge and level of spiritual care practices as well as attitude and spiritual care practices and a relationship between knowledge and spiritual care practices controlling the attitude of the respondents. This study involved 194 staff nurses from three selected tertiary hospitals in Roxas City. The data gathering instrument used for this study was a researcher-made questionnaire and analysis of data involved the use of both descriptive and inferential statistical tools. Findings revealed that majority of the respondents were female, single, with a mean age of 26.5 years old, had less than three years length of service and adhered to the Catholic faith. The result also showed that the respondents have high spiritual knowledge though there were some nurses who had average and low knowledge which indicates the need to further educate nurses about spiritual care. Furthermore, the respondents have a favourable attitude towards indicating that they are highly motivated in rendering spiritual care. The result also showed that the respondents have fair spiritual care practices which indicate that they are likely to provide spiritual care for their patients. Only the sex and religious affiliation of the respondents have bearing on their knowledge about spiritual care. Age, civil status and length of service are not significantly related to knowledge about spiritual care. In addition their length of service had a significant bearing on attitudes towards spiritual care. Age, sex, civil status and religious affiliation have nothing to do with attitude towards spiritual care. The religious affiliation of the respondents has a bearing on their spiritual care practices. Age, sex, civil status and length of service are not related to their spiritual care practices. Findings of this study also revealed that knowledge about spiritual care influence their spiritual care practices. No significant relationship exists between their knowledge about spiritual care and attitude towards spiritual care. In the same way, no significant relationship was found between attitude towards spiritual care and spiritual care practices. Recommendations focused on additional education about spiritual care in terms of how it should be done and how to appropriately provide religious based interventions. It is also recommended that nurse managers and nurse educators should provide activities in which it will help nurses have a more positive attitude towards rendering spiritual care for their patients.