FEATURES Meaning of Spiritual Care Iranian Nurses’ Experiences ■ Batool Tirgari, PhD, MSN ■ Sedigheh Iranmanesh, PhD ■ Mohammad Ali Cheraghi, PhD ■ Ali Arefi, PhD Spiritual care is an essential component in nursing practice and strongly influenced by the sociocultural context. This article aimed to elucidate the meaning of nurses’ experiences of giving spiritual care in southeast of Iran. A phenomenological hermeneutic approach influenced by Ricoeur was used. Eleven staff nurses who were currently working in the 3 major hospitals under the umbrella of the Kerman University of Medical Sciences were interviewed. The meaning of spiritual care was comprehensively understood as meeting patient as a unique being. This can be divided into 3 themes: meeting patient as a being in relationship, meeting patient as a cultural being, and meeting patient as a religious being. The results in this study suggest that education about spirituality and spiritual care should be included in the continuous and in-service education of registered nurses. Spiritual and cultural assessment criteria should be included in this education to improve the provision of holistic care. KEY WORDS: Iran, nurse, phenomenology, spiritual care Holist Nurs Pract 2013;27(4):199–206 Nursing in the late 20th century reached a consensus that the best care of patients is realized through focusing on the “whole person,” not only body and mind. 1 More recently, the profession has begun to reintroduce the concept of spirituality as part of standard care. 2 There is evidence that recognition of an individual’s spirituality should be considered an integral part of nursing care. 3 In a recent report, spiritual care was said to be an essential component of a holistic model of nursing. 4 The holistic nursing perspective requires nurses to view each person as a biopsychosocial being with spiritual core. Each component of the self (physical, mental, social, and spiritual) is integral to, and influences, the others. 5 However, research by Narayanasamy 6 indicates that neglecting a patient’s spiritual needs can lead to feelings of isolation and spiritual distress. Author Affiliations: Neuroscience Research Center Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman (Ms Tirgari and Dr Iranmanesh); School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran (Dr Cheraghi); and Faculty of Literature and Humanities school, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman (Dr Arefi), Iran. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Correspondence: Mohammad Ali Cheraghi, PhD, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran (mcheraghi@tums.ac.ir). DOI: 10.1097/HNP.0b013e318294e774 Because spirituality is a broad, highly subjective, and multidimensional concept, 7-9 spiritual care is also difficult to define. There is consensus that the concept of spiritual care within nursing practice remains fairly underdeveloped in comparison with other elements of care. 10-12 This contradicts the basic nursing ethics, which state that every nurse is responsible for ensuring the provision of spiritual care to patients. 13 Several theorists have identified spiritual assessment and intervention components within nursing care. 14-17 Ross 18,19 and Greasley et al 20 claim that Spiritual care can be related to recognition of patients’ dignity and manifested by showing love for patients and helping them attain inner peace and emotional well-being. However, certain aspects of the topic, such as the conceptualization of spirituality and the nurses’ role in providing spiritual care, are contested. 21 Phenomenologically, Nursing care influenced by culture. According to Dunlop, 22 the science of caring is possible if one diverges from the method of natural science to the universal principles that articulate what caring means in a cultural context. Subsequently, hidden phenomenon in patient care could be identified from nurse experience. Studies in Iran have indicated that the nursing profession is strongly influenced within the sociocultural context. 23 A qualitative study Copyright © 2013 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. 199