RESEARCH ARTICLE
Experiences of Spirituality and Spiritual Values in the Context of Nursing – An Integrative Review
Gudrun Rudolfsson*, 1, Ingela Berggren 1, António Barbosa da Silva 2
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2014Volume: 8
First Page: 64
Last Page: 70
Publisher ID: TONURSJ-8-64
DOI: 10.2174/1874434601408010064
Article History:
Received Date: 10/10/2014Revision Received Date: 15/11/2014
Acceptance Date: 20/11/2014
Electronic publication date: 31 /12/2014
Collection year: 2014
open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
Abstract
Spirituality is often mistakenly equated with religion but is in fact a far broader concept. The aim of this integrative review was to describe experiences of the positive impact of spirituality and spiritual values in the context of nursing. The analysis was guided by Whittemore and Knafl’s integrative review method. The findings revealed seven themes: ‘Being part of a greater wholeness’, ‘Togetherness − value based relationships’, ‘Developing inner strength’, ‘Ministering to patients’, ‘Maintaining one’s sense of humanity’, ‘Viewing life as a gift evokes a desire to ‘give back’’ and ‘Achieving closure − life goes on’. It is difficult to draw definite conclusions, as spirituality involves many perspectives on various levels of awareness. However, spirituality was considered more inclusive, fluid and personal. Furthermore, it emerged that spirituality and spiritual values in the context of nursing are closely intertwined with the concept of caring.
