Rising to "The Highest Morals"-The Rich History of Nursing Ethics.

ABSTRACT: Modern nursing is supported by a rich ethical tradition dating back to the mid-19th century. Moving illustrations of nursing practice and "the highest morals" (McIsaac, 1901) relay the distinguished history and distinctives of nursing ethics from the 1860s to the present day. Of note is that nursing ethics is relationally focused, virtue-based, preventative, and central to the identity of nursing. A brief history of how bioethics emerged in the mid-20th century and an overview of the development of nursing ethics unveils differences between the two ethical paradigms.

Fall 2021 Update: Navigating COVID Vaccination in Tumultuous Times.

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent development of COVID vaccines have resulted in unique challenges for nurses. Nurses are being asked to make recommendations about vaccinations that have only been available since December 2020 even as vaccine information evolves on an almost daily basis. Standards of professional care and a Christian perspective on nursing to help guide nurses' practice in the current climate are discussed in this article. An overview of information and research findings published up to October 31, 2021 about COVID-19 vaccination is given to assist nurses in answering vaccination questions.

The Pain of Infertility.

ABSTRACT: Infertility, the inability to conceive and/or carry a baby to term, is an agonizing experience for many. Both the experience and pain of infertility are ancient, shared by women and men of the Bible and by couples today. An insider's look into infertility can help nurses understand the suffering that occurs, suggest what can be said and done that can be helpful as well as hurtful, and offer insight into what can be gained personally and spiritually through the experience of infertility.

The Difference Rehabilitation Makes.

Physical medicine and rehabilitation, or physiatry, is comprehensive medical care that helps a person get back, keep, or improve his or her physical, mental, or cognitive abilities needed for daily life. Six hallmarks of rehabilitation were discovered by this nurse author after her husband suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and was cared for at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals.

Experiencing God in Nursing.

Christian faith supports the idea that God is always at work in the world. God invites people into relationship with him and then to join in his work. Three nurses relay supernatural events where God worked in and through their nursing practice, reinforcing the understanding of what author Henry Blackaby calls experiencing God. Christian nurses are called to enter deeply into relationship with God.

Nurse Religiosity and Spiritual Care: An Online Survey.

This study measured the frequency of nurse-provided spiritual care and how it is associated with various facets of nurse religiosity. Data were collected using an online survey accessed from the home page of the Journal of Christian Nursing. The survey included the Nurse Spiritual Care Therapeutics Scale, six scales quantifying facets of religiosity, and demographic and work-related items. Respondents ( N = 358) indicated high religiosity yet reported neutral responses to items about sharing personal beliefs and tentativeness of belief. Findings suggested spiritual care was infrequent. Multivariate analysis showed prayer frequency, employer support of spiritual care, and non-White ethnicity were significantly associated with spiritual care frequency (adjusted R2 = .10). Results not only provide an indication of spiritual care frequency but empirical encouragement for nurse managers to provide a supportive environment for spiritual care. Findings expose the reality that nurse religiosity is directly related, albeit weakly, to spiritual care frequency.

Spiritual Care at the Bedside: Are We Practicing What We Preach?

Little is known about how nurses' personal spirituality and religious (S/R) beliefs impact their spiritual care of patients. An online survey was used to collect data from 445 nurses, assessing facets of religiosity, their opinions about introducing S/R during patient care, demographic, and work-related variables. Findings indicated that even in a sample of Christian nurses who scored high on religiousness measures, spiritual care is infrequent. Nurses' opinions about whether it was appropriate to initiate S/R conversation, self-disclosure, and prayer were associated with aspects of nurse religiosity. Nurses working in a faith-based organization were more likely to believe they could initiate S/R conversation and offer prayer.

Nurse opinions about initiating spiritual conversation and prayer in patient care.

AIM: The aim of this study was to understand nurses' opinions about initiating spiritual or religious conversation during patient care and to measure how these perspectives are associated with demographic, religious and work-related characteristics. BACKGROUND: Nurses are expected to provide spiritual care and do so in diverse ways. Little is known about how nurses think about initiating spiritual or religious discourse. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, quantitative. METHODS: Online survey methods allowed data collection from 445 nurses. The survey, accessed from the homepage of the Journal of Christian Nursing for 6 months beginning June 2015, included scales measuring various facets of religiosity, and items assessing nurse opinions about introducing spirituality or religion during patient care and demographic and work-related variables. Variables showing significant associations with Nurse Opinion items in bivariate analyses were examined using binary logistic regression. RESULTS: About 90% of participants believed it appropriate to initiate conversation about spirituality/religion and nearly three-quarters thought it appropriate to self-disclose spirituality/religion or offer prayer under certain circumstances or anytime. All personal religiosity indicators except tentativeness of belief were found to be associated with responses to Nurse Opinion items. That is, higher religiosity was associated with opinion one could initiate such conversations, whereas lower religiosity was associated with waiting for patients to initiate. Nurses working in a faith-based organization were 276% more likely to believe they could initiate such conversation and 153% more likely to think they could initiate an offer of prayer. CONCLUSION: Nurse religiosity and work environment were associated with nurse opinions about initiating spiritual/religious discourse with patients.