Spirituality in Nursing: The Challenges of Complexity / Edition 3

by Barbara Stevens Barnum PhD

Overview

Spirituality in Nursing is thought provoking and Barnum offers some excellent material and food for thought."—Journal of Christian Nursing

This is a very thought-provoking book that asks many questions, often without answers. It could be used in an undergraduate or graduate course on spirituality or death and dying, or as in-service material in hospitals and other healthcare agencies. A very interesting chapter discusses near death experiences (NDE), a phenomenon that has begun to be accepted and has garnered more study.Score: 95, 4 stars —Doody's

• Can nurses be expected to deliver spiritual care?
• Should nursing claim healing as part of its mission?
• Should spiritual care be taught in nursing education?
• What do recent brain studies teach us about spirituality?

Exploring these questions and many more, this new edition of Spirituality in Nursing provides a wealth of insight into current challenges presented to both practicing nurses and students. Newly updated, revised, and expanded, this third edition examines spirituality in nursing from an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing from theoretical, historical, religious, psychological, and even physiological contexts.

In her thought-provoking exploration of this sometimes controversial topic, Dr. Barnum traces nursing's involvement with spirituality from its historical ties with religion to the current interest in new age and alternative health methods. The chapters offer engaging discussions of important topics such as the distinction between spirituality and religion, spirituality and research, humanism, and death and dying. Taking a problem-solving approach, this book serves as an invaluable guide to understanding the complex and expanding role of spirituality in nursing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826105837
Publisher:	Springer Publishing Company
Publication date:	09/08/2010
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	196
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Barbara Stevens Barnum, RN, PhD, is a consultant, psychotherapist, and (part-time faculty) periodic lecturer at NYU, Nursing.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 Spiritual Versus Religious Orientations 1

Chapter 2 Levels of Spiritual Development: What Happens When the Nurse and the Patient Differ? 11

Chapter 3 Spirituality and the Brain: Is Spirituality Programmed in the Brain? 27

Chapter 4 Spirituality and Psychology: Compatible or Incompatible? 49

Chapter 5 Spirituality and Research: What Research Makes Sense? What Doesn't? 63

Chapter 6 Spirituality and Nursing Theory: A Miss or a Match? 79

Chapter 7 Should Spiritual Care Be Taught in Nursing Education? 95

Chapter 8 Spirituality, Healing, and Nursing: Should Nursing Claim Healing as Part of Its Mission? 105

Chapter 9 Should Spiritual Care Be a Function of Nursing Practice? 119

Chapter 10 Today's Nursing: A Prisoner of Context? 129

Chapter 11 Dying, Death, Disability, and Despair 139

Chapter 12 Spirituality Versus Humanism 151

Chapter 13 Conclusions 157

Coda 163

Index 167

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Vicki Ann Moss, DNSc, MS, BSN, RN (University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh)
Description: The author traces nursing's history with spirituality from its ties with religion through current new age and alternative therapies. It is written from an interdisciplinary perspective stemming from theoretical, religious, historical, psychological, and physiological contexts.
Purpose: The purpose is to explore spiritual issues in nursing that are problematic, reasons why they are problematic, and what we can or cannot do about them.
Audience: The audience for this book is all nurses, nursing students, and even patients who are interested in exploring issues of spirituality and healthcare. The author poses spiritual questions for the practicing nurse, the patient, the nurse educator, and the nurse manager.
Features: In the introduction, the author poses several spirituality questions for different groups: practicing nurses, patients, nurse educators, and nurse managers. Each question could be developed into a serious and interesting discussion. The 13 chapters explore such topics as spiritual versus religious orientation, what happens when the nurse and the patient differ, and spirituality and the brain. A coda summarizes the author's views on spirituality.
Assessment: This is a very thought-provoking book that asks many questions, often without answers. It could be used in an undergraduate or graduate course on spirituality or death and dying, or as in-service material in hospitals and other healthcare agencies. A very interesting chapter discusses near death experiences (NDE), a phenomenon that has begun to be accepted and has garnered more study.

Doody's Review Service

Reviewer: Vicki Ann Moss, DNSc, MS, BSN, RN(University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh)
Description: The author traces nursing's history with spirituality from its ties with religion through current new age and alternative therapies. It is written from an interdisciplinary perspective stemming from theoretical, religious, historical, psychological, and physiological contexts.
Purpose: The purpose is to explore spiritual issues in nursing that are problematic, reasons why they are problematic, and what we can or cannot do about them.
Audience: The audience for this book is all nurses, nursing students, and even patients who are interested in exploring issues of spirituality and healthcare. The author poses spiritual questions for the practicing nurse, the patient, the nurse educator, and the nurse manager.
Features: In the introduction, the author poses several spirituality questions for different groups: practicing nurses, patients, nurse educators, and nurse managers. Each question could be developed into a serious and interesting discussion. The 13 chapters explore such topics as spiritual versus religious orientation, what happens when the nurse and the patient differ, and spirituality and the brain. A coda summarizes the author's views on spirituality.
Assessment: This is a very thought-provoking book that asks many questions, often without answers. It could be used in an undergraduate or graduate course on spirituality or death and dying, or as in-service material in hospitals and other healthcare agencies. A very interesting chapter discusses near death experiences (NDE), a phenomenon that has begun to be accepted and has garnered more study.