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Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to understand the process of exploring spiritual care experiences of ICU nurses toward critical care patients.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to understand the spindles and themes under the spiritual care experiences of ICU nurses toward critical care patients.
Methods: This study used the phenomenological research method. ICU nurses were asked to describe their own spirituality and spiritual care for patients, using semi-structured interview questions to guide the in-depth interviews for data collection.
Results: Study subjects were 11 ICU female nurses with average age 35 years old, married, graduated from college, 15 years of nursing experiences, and majority of them bleived Taoistism. ICU nurses’ essential experiences of spiritual care for the critically ill patients structured three spindles: the spirituality and spiritual care of nurses, factors influencing nurses to provide spiritual care. The first spindle included four minor spindles: spiritual definitions, value beliefs and life goals, interaction with others, connection with the higher one. The second spindle included three minor spindles: spiritual care definitons, spiritual needs assessment of patients divided into conscious and non-conscious levels. The spiritual care of nurses included general spiritual care (nine themes including care skills, physiological needs, autonomy, alternative therapies, promoted interaction, religion beliefs. culture care, grief allevation and end of life care), spiritual care for the conscious and non-conscious patients. The third spindle included four minor spindles as environment, time, the attitudes of patients and families, and lack of continuous education on spiritual care for ICU health care professionals
Conclusion: According to the above researhc results, the authors were looking forward to develop a spiritual care guideline for nurses to care the spiritual needs of ICU patients.