Recherche en soins infirmiers
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The subject of the study consisted in identifying the spiritual needs of the terminally ill patients, so as to investigate and specify the implementation field of the diagnosis of "spiritual distress" by the French nurses relative to the values and beliefs. The key moments, when the spiritual needs can express themselves also had to be spotted, in order to investigate the possible role of the nurse faced with the spiritual needs of the patients. The study was carried out on a population of 27 AIDS and cancer patients, hospitalized in two units of palliative cares of the Paris region and on a population of 20 nurses of these same units. ⋯ This nursing diagnosis does not seem to be adapted to our western culture. Its lack of discriminatory power and of flexibility does not make it very useful for the caretaker who needs to clarify beforehand the concepts of spiritual needs and of religious needs. As for the actions, the appeal to the religion representatives or to the psychologist is not always what the patients want even though the ill being appears mainly when the patients feel lonely ... we therefore resort to actions of relation of help with an active listening and help to the rereading of life for which the nurse is in a rather good position, according to the patients.