Nurse Practitioners Integrating Spirituality Into Practice

Previous research suggests that patients want their primary healthcare provider to address their spiritual needs, but few receive this care on a consistent basis. However, limited data exists regarding primary healthcare providers’ perspectives and practices regarding spirituality. For this reason, this research study was conducted to determine the extent nurse practitioners (NPs) value and integrate spiritual care practices in the clinical setting. Accredited or practicing NPs nationwide were surveyed via e-mail. A total of 23 participated in this research study. The research questions to be investigated are: (1) Does the participant consider themselves religious and/or spiritual? (2) Does the participant think that incorporating spiritual care into their practice positively effects a patient’s health? (3) Does the participant incorporate spiritual care when caring for their patients in the clinical setting? This research study found that most participants considered themselves spiritual and/or religious. The majority believed spirituality had a “generally positive” influence on a patient’s health. However, only the NPs who reported being “very” or “moderately” spiritual “always” addressed their spiritual needs with their patients. The results of this research study hope to inspire current NPs to prioritize spiritual care in the clinical setting