학술논문

Spirituality in Critical Care: An Observational Study of the Perceptions of Professionals, Patients and Families, in Spain and Latin America
Document Type
Original Paper
Source
Journal of Religion and Health. 62(4):2391-2411
Subject
Spiritual attention
Critical care
Spirituality
Humanization
Person-centered medicine
Spiritual suffering
Language
English
ISSN
0022-4197
1573-6571
Abstract
This research aims to describe the perspectives of health care professionals, patients, and family members regarding spiritual care options in intensive care units (ICUs). Participants were recruited consecutively from January to August 2019, during which time data collection was conducted. A total of 1211 Spanish-language questionnaires were collected from 41 ICUs in Spain and Latin America. Approximately 655 participants worked as ICU professionals (74.5% of these participants were women, and 47.5% were nurses). Additionally, 340 questionnaires were sent to patients' families, and patients completed 216 questionnaires; 59.7% of these participants were men, and their mean age was 59.4 years. Most (69.7%) of the critical care professionals considered this type of care to be a part of their profession, 50.1% did not feel competent to provide this type of care, and 83.4% felt that training in this area was necessary. Most families (71.7%) and patients (60.2%) felt that spiritual suffering occurred during their stay in the ICU. The results of this study suggest a perceived deficit in spiritual care in ICUs.