Abstract
BACKGROUND: While the importance of cultural and spiritual care proficiencies is well-validated in cancer supportive care and critical care settings, their relevance in urology remains to be substantiated. Gauging the spiritual care requisites of nurses within urology divisions may foster enhanced sentiments of hope, serenity, and fortitude among patients. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine cultural and spiritual care proficiencies among nurses tending to urology patients and to ascertain the correlation between the personal and professional attributes of these nurses and their perspectives on cultural and spiritual care competencies. METHODS: Thirty-five nurses affiliated with the urology department of Jiading District Central Hospital, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, China, were provided with a questionnaire encompassing the spiritual care competency scale and the cultural competence scale. All participating nurse practitioners were female, of Han Chinese ethnicity, adhered to Chinese culture, and were devoid of religious affiliations. Both instruments used a 6-point Likert scale (1: vehemently disagree, 2: disagree, 3: slightly disagree, 4: slightly agree, 5: agree, and 6: vehemently agree). RESULTS: Participating nurses possessed education at or above the junior college level. Nurses aged 35 and older accounted for 26%, while 63% had a decade or fewer of experience in urological nursing in China. The preeminent value within the spiritual care competency scale pertained to spiritual perspectives (factor 2; 4.94 ± 0.32/nurse), succeeded by attributes for spiritual care (factor 1; 4.42 ± 0.19/nurse), defining spiritual care (factor 3; 4.33 ± 0.21/nurse), spiritual care attitudes (factor 4; 4.2 ± 0.28/nurse), spiritual care values (factor 5; 3.98 ± 0.21/nurse), and spiritual care personal values (factor 6; 3.89 ± 0.22/nurse). The clinical nursing cultural competence scale registered at 4.24 ± 0.79/nurse. No associations were evident between personal/professional traits and perceptions of cultural and spiritual care competencies (p > 0.05 for all comparisons). CONCLUSION: Nurses functioning within the urology department exhibited an affirmative outlook toward cultural and spiritual care proficiencies. The personal and professional attributes of nurses in urology are generally uncorrelated with their perceptions of cultural and spiritual care competencies. Nurses in the urology department have a heavy workload and insufficient knowledge of spiritual care practices.