Why is it important to assess clients spirituality?

Fiona Timmins Associate professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

Sílvia Caldeira Assistant professor, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Instituto de Ciências da Saúde, Lisbon, Portugal

Assessing spirituality and the spiritual needs of patients is fundamental to providing effective spiritual care. This article, the second in a series of three, discusses the assessment of patients’ spirituality and spiritual needs in healthcare settings. Several formal spiritual assessment tools are available to assist nurses to identify patients’ spiritual needs and to determine whether they are experiencing spiritual distress. However, it may be more appropriate to assess patients’ spirituality informally, by asking open questions about their spiritual beliefs and needs. It is important for nurses to be aware of the limits of their competence in undertaking spiritual assessment and providing spiritual care, and to refer patients to the healthcare chaplain or other spiritual support personnel where necessary. The third and final article in this series will discuss spiritual care nursing interventions.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 47-53. doi: 10.7748/ns.2017.e10312

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

None declared

Received: 18 October 2015

Accepted: 01 July 2016

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Page 2

Jonathan Williams Senior clinical psychologist, Denbighshire Complex Disabilities Team, Ruthin, Denbighshire, Wales

Several public inquiries have identified systemic issues in some healthcare settings in the UK. Such findings indicate that it is necessary for multidisciplinary efforts to develop and maintain compassionate inpatient care. This reflective article summarises and explores themes from an event, titled Post Francis and Andrews: Psychological Approaches to Advancing Compassionate Healthcare Delivery in Wales, which took place in November 2014. The article outlines the relevant principles and psychological approaches to compassionate care discussed at the event. It provides nurses with a basis for considering these principles in their practice, encourages them to consider the ways collaboration between psychologists and nurses can be improved, and provides recommendations for developing compassionate care systems in Wales and the rest of the UK.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 55-60. doi: 10.7748/ns.2017.e10181

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

None declared

Received: 09 June 2015

Accepted: 15 December 2015

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Page 3

Elena Alegado Staff nurse, St Thomas’ Hospital, London

A CPD article improved Elena Alegado’s knowledge of reflective practice

What was the nature of the CPD activity, practice-related feedback and/or event and/or experience in your practice?

The CPD article provided a useful introduction to reflection, defined as a method of using experiential knowledge to enable professional and personal development, while reinforcing continuous learning.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 72-73. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.72.s49

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Patient Cathy Selby says Florence Kissi’s ‘amazing care and megawatt smile’ helped her overcome her fear of hospitals

Ten years ago, at the age of 40, I had a major stroke and lost my old life overnight. During my stay in hospital I was abused by healthcare staff.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 73-73. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.73.s50

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Page 5

Graham Scott Editor, Nursing Standard

You almost certainly do not know Liz Alderton, Jason Gray O’Connor or Hilda Hayo, but after reading this week’s Nursing Standard you will gain an idea of what these three nurses get up to in a typical day.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 3-3. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.3.s1

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Page 6

‘We are the party of the NHS,’ declared chancellor of the exchequer Philip Hammond during last week’s spring budget.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 7-7. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.7.s2

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Page 7

Erin Dean

Current pressures in the health service are creating similar circumstances to those that led to disastrous failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, according to the nurse who was brought in to turn the organisation around.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 7-8. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.7.s3

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Page 8

King’s College London has been named the third best university in the world for nursing, with two other UK institutions also in the top ten.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 8-8. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.8.s4

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Page 9

Health Education England (HEE) has published a workforce development plan for practice nursing.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 9-9. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.9.s5

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Page 10

A roundup of the latest nursing news

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 9-10. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.9.s6

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Page 11

Stephanie Jones-Berry

Thousands of nurses have left the health service, citing the need to achieve a better work-life balance, new data reveals.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 9-9. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.9.s7

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Page 12

Erin Dean

A nurse has admitted misconduct after failing to attempt to resuscitate a care home resident she believed was dead.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 10-10. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.10.s8

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Page 13

A snapshot of the state of health and social care

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 10-10. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.10.s9

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Page 14

Three in four people in the UK want nurses and other public sector workers receive a pay rise, a survey has revealed.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 11-11. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.11.s10

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Page 15

Most read online this week

1 The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has issued new guidance urging nurses to do more to address the spiritual, social and cultural needs of patients during their final days of life.

Read more: rcni.com/spirituality-needs

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 11-11. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.11.s11

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Page 16

Six in ten health service employees had worked while unwell in the previous three months, the annual NHS staff survey found.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 11-11. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.11.s12

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Page 17

Courses, events, grants, and awards to progress your career

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1 Primary Healthcare

17-19 April, Dubai, UAE

tinyurl.com/health-primary

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Page 19

Liz Alderton District nurse

Jason Gray O’Connor Paediatric emergency nurse consultant

Hilda Hayo Chief Admiral Nurse and chief executive of charity Dementia UK

As the NHS struggles to balance rising demand with limited resources, three nurses share their shift diaries – complete with emergency pressures, delays and catching a pet hamster

7.10am: In office to finish previous day’s paperwork.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 12-13. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.12.s13

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Page 20

Erin Dean

Essential facts

An estimated one in 12 (900,000) children aged 5-19 in the UK experience bowel and bladder conditions. The impact of continence conditions can be profound on a child’s or teenager’s life and can continue into adulthood. Those affected can have a lower quality of life than their peers, miss out on education and social activities, and are more likely to be bullied. Most bowel and bladder problems are avoidable and treatable, yet it’s estimated that only 11% of those affected ask for help.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 15-15. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.15.s16

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Page 21

There is a lack of scientific evidence to support the use of most off-label antidepressants, a study suggests.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 16-16. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.16.s17

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Page 22

Intelligent teenagers are more likely to drink alcohol and use cannabis than their less academically gifted peers but are less likely to smoke, new study results suggest.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 16-16. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.16.s18

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Page 23

Having at least three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit a day could help prevent dementia in older adults, new research suggests.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 17-17. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.17.s19

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Page 24

Exposure to a group of synthetic chemicals may be linked to behavioural difficulties in six year olds, say researchers in France.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 17-17. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.17.s20

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Page 25

A large review lead by researchers at Imperial College London has discovered ‘strong evidence’ to support the association between obesity and some major types of cancer, mainly those related to digestive organs and hormone-related malignancies.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 17-17. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.17.s21

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Page 26

With services reported to be at breaking point, it is clear the NHS is struggling to cope with demand. But what is driving the crisis? Alison Moore looks at the facts behind the headlines

How serious is the situation in emergency departments?

Figures for England showing how many patients were discharged, transferred or admitted within four hours in January were the worst on record, at 85.1%. Add to this very high attendances at emergency departments and admissions, and a growing number of 12-hour waits for a bed and this does look like an unprecedented crisis. There is also a large number of trusts declaring Opel 3 and 4 alerts (the new black and red alerts). Attendances at major A&Es increased by 5.5% from 2015 to 2016, and many hospitals and ambulance services reported their busiest-ever days in January this year.

Nursing Standard. 31, 29, 18-21. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.29.18.s22

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