Spirituality, culture, and cancer care.

OBJECTIVES

To explore the inter-relatedness of culture and spirituality in the context of cancer caregiving and to provide suggestions for improving clinical practice.

DATA SOURCES

Research reports and theoretical and clinical papers from nursing and medicine.

CONCLUSION

Understanding spiritual-cultural influences that affect responses to cancer are essential if a nurse is to provide effective care. Research has documented spiritual-cultural aspects of cancer prevention and screening, living and coping with cancer, and dying with cancer. This research suggests that African American and Hispanic cancer patients are more religious, recognize more spiritual needs, and benefit more from religious coping strategies, than do white Americans.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Strategies proposed for increasing a nurse's effectiveness while caring for clients with diverse spiritual-cultural beliefs and behaviors include: increasing awareness of personal spiritual-cultural values and beliefs, gaining knowledge about diverse religious traditions, and negotiation with clients when values and beliefs that compromise care conflict.