Department of Nursing and Mental Health, Faculty of Public Health, Hedmark University College, P.O Box 400, N- 2418, Elverum, Norway.
Institute of Health and Society, Department of Nursing Science, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1130 Blindern, N- 0318 Oslo, Norway.
BMC Nurs. 2014 Apr 15;13:12. doi: 10.1186/1472-6955-13-12. eCollection 2014.
The aim of the study was to investigate nurses' and care workers' experiences of spiritual needs among residents with dementia in nursing homes. Nurses claim to practice holistic nursing. Nevertheless, there is little knowledge about how to recognise spiritual needs in residents with dementia.
The study was conducted using a qualitative method with an exploratory design. Eight focus- group interviews in four Norwegian nursing homes were performed from June 2011 - Jan 2012. Using open-ended research questions, a total of 31 participants were asked to share their understanding and experiences regarding residents' spiritual needs. The interviews were analysed using a phenomenological - hermeneutical method.
The nurses' and care workers' experiences of residents' spiritual needs were related to three main themes; i) The need for serenity and inner peace, described as "contemplative and restful moments" and "calmness due to familiarity", ii) The need for confirmation, described as "love and proximity" and iii) The need to express faith and beliefs, described as "participate in worship and prayers" and "approaching death". The comprehensive analyses revealed that the nurses believe the residents' spiritual needs were linked to the residents' previous sources of finding meaning, in relation to inter-personal, intra-personal and trans-personal dimensions in residents' lives.
Nurses' and care workers' experiences of spiritual needs in people with dementia are very similar to the findings for the general population regardless of the severity of the dementia. The study's relevance to clinical practice indicates the importance of developing more knowledge about how people with dementia in nursing homes express spiritual needs and how to observe and interpret such needs.
本研究旨在调查护士和护理人员在养老院中对痴呆症患者的精神需求的体验。护士声称实践整体护理。然而，对于如何识别痴呆症患者的精神需求知之甚少。
本研究采用定性方法和探索性设计进行。2011 年 6 月至 2012 年 1 月，在挪威的四个养老院进行了八次焦点小组访谈。使用开放式研究问题，共有 31 名参与者被要求分享他们对居民精神需求的理解和经验。访谈采用现象学-诠释学方法进行分析。
护士和护理人员对居民精神需求的体验与三个主要主题相关：i）宁静与内心平静的需求，描述为“沉思与宁静时刻”和“因熟悉而平静”；ii）确认的需求，描述为“爱与亲近”；iii）表达信仰和信念的需求，描述为“参与礼拜和祈祷”和“接近死亡”。全面分析表明，护士认为居民的精神需求与居民以前寻找意义的来源有关，涉及居民生活中的人际、个体和超个体维度。
无论痴呆症的严重程度如何，护士和护理人员对痴呆症患者的精神需求的体验与一般人群的发现非常相似。本研究对临床实践的相关性表明，需要进一步了解养老院中痴呆症患者表达精神需求的方式以及如何观察和解释这些需求。
