Abstract
Spiritual sensitivity (SS) is defined as attention to the available spiritual values in a conflicting situation and awareness of one’s roles and responsibilities in that situation. It helps differentiate between the right and the wrong and leads to sound practice. This study explored the concept of SS from the perspectives of healthcare providers in Iran. This qualitative study was carried out in 2017–2019 using conventional content analysis. Twenty-two physicians, faculty members with clinical work experience, and healthcare providers were purposefully recruited. Data were collected using unstructured interviews and were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Participants’ experiences of the concept of SS were grouped into three main themes, namely sense of value, spiritual growth and morale boosting, and SS as a motivator for purposeful service delivery. The findings of the present study will help healthcare managers develop programs for improving healthcare providers’ spiritual sensitivity and also will help healthcare providers develop spirituality-based holistic care plans.
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Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the Research Administration of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran. We would like to thank this administration for its support as well as all physicians, faculty members, and healthcare providers who participated in this study.
Funding
This study has been funded and supported by Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences (SKUMS); Grant No: 2678.
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The Ethical approval was obtained from the Research and Technology Deputy of the Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences (Ethical code: IR.SKUMS.REC.1396.191). The Iranian Nursing Society review board approved this study (AHD – 038 – IRB—393792). In this study, the participants were informed of the purposes and significance of the research, and then, the written informed consent to participate in the study was obtained from them. Also, the participants were assured that participation in the study is voluntary and can be discontinued at any time. With the participants’ agreement, a room near nursing department was decided to be the location of the interviews, and during the interview, they were provided privacy and comfort. The Ethics Committee of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran, approved this study (code: IR.SKUMS.REC.1396.191).
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee (include name of committee + reference number) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study is exempted from ethical approval by ethics committee of Research and Technology Deputy of the Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences.
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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Participants were informed about the study aim and were ensured that participation in and withdrawal from this study were voluntary. Informed consent was obtained from all participants.
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Kazemi, S.Y., Jafari, A., Rabiei, L. et al. Exploring the Concept of Spiritual Sensitivity from the Perspectives of Healthcare Providers in Iran. J Relig Health 61, 3806–3821 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01404-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01404-5