However, the importance of nurses in the spiritual care of patients was not compromised. However, results concerning if the needs of patients were being met differed significantly according to the care setting.
Leeuwen, Tiesinga, & Post et al. (2006) also explored the responsibility of nurses in meeting the spiritual care needs of patients at the end of their life. According to the study, addressing the spiritual needs of the patients proved difficult. For many patients, they wanted more attention from the nursing staff. However, nurses were limited in their ability to provide for the spiritual needs of the patients by their time constraints and job pressures. This study compared the needs of patients with the attitudes of nurses regarding their role in the spiritual care of the patient. The study paid close attention to the limitations of the study and in the interpretation of results in regards to the hypothesis. This research differed from other studies in this research area, as it compared the responses of patients with those of nurses.
Conclusion
Research into the study of spirituality on the quality of life and clinical outcome of patients with HIV / AIDS is a relatively new area. As such, there are many research gaps that need to be filled and questions that need to be answered. Overall, the key goal of research into this area is to determine how to apply the knowledge gained to the nursing profession and to anyone else who has the responsibility of caring for patients with HIV / AIDS. The studies reviewed in this research study are the first step in this process.
The body of research explored in this literature review suggests that attention to spirituality and religion plan an important role in improving the quality of life for patients with HIV / AIDS. Perhaps the most disturbing discovery was that the spiritual needs of patients are important to their outcomes. However, patients felt that nurses were not able to provide for these needs due to the pressures and high-paced environment in which they worked. This research has identified...
It is understandable that researchers see a need to find a way to integrate knowledge gained into the daily routine of those who must take care of those with HIV / AIDS. This research plays an important role in the ability to integrate spirituality into the nursing profession with the goal of improving patient outcomes.
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