• Christina Canfield, Debi Taylor, Kimberly Nagy, Claire Strauser, Karen VanKerkhove, Stephanie Wills, Patricia Sawicki, and Jeanne Sorrell.
• Christina Canfield is a clinical nurse specialist, eHospital, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio. Kimberly Nagy and Stephanie Wills are registered nurses, Claire Strauser is nurse manager, and Karen VanKerkhove and Patricia Sawicki are assistant nurse managers in the medical intensive care unit, Cleveland Clinic. Debi Taylor is a registered nurse, Sutter Tracy Community Hospital, Tracy, California. Jeanne Sorrell is a senior researcher emeritus, Cleveland Clinic. canfiec@ccf.org.
• Am. J. Crit. Care. 2016 May 1; 25 (3): 206-11.

BackgroundThe term spirituality is highly subjective. No common or universally accepted definition for the term exists. Without a clear definition, each nurse must reconcile his or her own beliefs within a framework mutually suitable for both nurse and patient.ObjectivesTo examine individual critical care nurses' definition of spirituality, their comfort in providing spiritual care to patients, and their perceived need for education in providing this care.MethodsIndividual interviews with 30 nurses who worked in a critical care unit at a large Midwestern teaching hospital.ResultsNurses generally feel comfortable providing spiritual care to critically ill patients but need further education about multicultural considerations. Nurses identified opportunities to address spiritual needs throughout a patient's stay but noted that these needs are usually not addressed until the end of life.ConclusionsA working definition for spirituality in health care was developed: That part of person that gives meaning and purpose to the person's life. Belief in a higher power that may inspire hope, seek resolution, and transcend physical and conscious constraints.©2016 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

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