Spiritual care has been defined as ‘an
intuitive, interpersonal, altruistic and
integrative expression that is contingent on
the nurse’s awareness of the transcendent
dimension of life, but that reflects the
patient’s reality’ (Sawatzky and Pesut 2005).
While perhaps slightly inaccurate in its
suggestion that the nurse should be aware
of the transcendent dimension of life (all
nurses should be able to provide spiritual
care, irrespective of their own spirituality),
this definition is useful in that it presents
spiritual caring, at least in part, as an
intuitive practice. It also emphasises that
spiritual care should begin where the patient is, rather than requiring him or her to move
to accommodate the nurse’s perspective
(Mulder and Gregory 2000).
Complete time out activity