Keywords

complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), daven, kaddish, mantra, minyan, Patient Bill of Rights, prayer beads, spirituality, tantra, unitary being, yantra

 

Authors

  1. DiJoseph, Josephine BS, RN
  2. Cavendish, Roberta PhD, RN, CPN

Abstract

Because prayer is the most frequently used spiritual practice, it is beneficial to address the relationship between prayer and spiritual care needs. Raising awareness among nurses of the meaning of prayer practices in healthcare settings may strengthen holistic care. This article presents a synthesis of nursing theory on prayer and spirituality for holistic care and attempts to expand an understanding of prayer practices related to traditions of increasingly diverse patients and caregivers. In addition, a 4-point guide for spiritual caregiving is presented to help nurses address human responses in the spiritual domain.