Spiritual Care Competence of Nurses

Background. Health care has become more patient centered, and spiritual care has become more critical during the past several decades because researchers have identified associations between met spiritual needs and positive health outcomes. This study investigated nurses' spiritual care competence. Method. A cross-sectional, descriptive research design was used. The study sample consisted of 201 nurses of a training and research hospital. Data were collected using a sociodemographic characteristics questionnaire and the Spiritual Care Competence Scale (SCCS). Results. The participants had a mean age of 27.62 +/- 5.28 years. They had a mean SCCS score of 3.88 +/- 0.50. Three factors affected participants' spiritual care competence. First, head nurses had a higher mean SCCS score than nurses (4.16 +/- 0.26 vs. 3.87 +/- 0.50). Second, participants who met patients' spiritual care needs had a higher mean SCCS score than those who could not (4.02 +/- 0.54 vs. 3.09 +/- 1.12). Third, participants who could diagnose patients for spiritual care had a higher mean SCCS score than those who could not (p<.05). Conclusion. These nurses had above-average spiritual care competence. Universities and health care institutions should provide nurses with training to help them develop spiritual care competence.