Noemi Duque dos Santos
Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Title: Meeting the spiritual needs of patients in Intensive Care Units
Submitted Date: 04/05/2016
Biography
Noemi Duque dos Santos has completed her Master’s in 2015 from Rio de Janeiro State University. She is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse at National Cardiology Institute in Rio de Janeiro (INC), where she works in the care of critical patients and preceptorship in Nursing Residency Program in Medical and Surgical Clinics.e-mail id:noemiduque@gmail.com
Abstract
Considering the comprehension of wholeness as essential for nursing practice, intensive therapy nurses must address spiritual issues. The main objective of this study was to investigate the care provided by nurses in intensive care units regarding the spiritual dimension. Metodology include qualitative study with 15 nurses who work at intensive care units at public and private hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 10 focal groups were conducted to produce the data, which was analyzed according with Bardin’s content analysis method. Results showed three categories: “the ICU caring spaceâ€, “the meaning of being a nurse in ICUs†and “the caring dimension in ICUsâ€. A second level of analysis took place, guided by Jean Watson Clinical Caritas Process. It was concluded that nurses who work at ICUs are immersed in a heavily technological environment and the main focus is on the body dimension. Nevertheless, when they perceive the patients’ spiritual needs, they can foster hope and faith so as to relieve the suffering caused by the disease and intensive care hospitalization processes. The study revealed that they are capable of integrating the human experience as they care for their patients.rn