Authors : M. Karimollahi , H.A. Abedi and A.R. Yousefi
Abstract: The World Health Organization (WHO) has proclaimed that the definition of health includes four domains of well-being: Physical, mental, social and spiritual. It is therefore suggested, that nurses should prepare themselves to assist individuals and families not only to cope with illness and suffering, but also to find meaning in these experiences. The purpose of this investigation is to explore antecedents of spiritual distress experienced by Muslim patients in the Islamic context of Iran. Qualitative descriptive research was conducted using unstructured Interviews. Three main categories were found: Failure in communication, non-holistic care and inability to worship. The results showed that the patient’s satisfaction could depend on good communication, good listening and good information. In ending, it can be said that staff members have a great deal of responsibility for assuring that the patient feels as good as possible, facilitating relatives’ involvement based on the family’s wishes and limiting the stress and difficulties experienced by the family.
M. Karimollahi , H.A. Abedi and A.R. Yousefi , 2008. Antecedents of Spiritual Distress Experienced by Iranian Muslim Patients. Research Journal of Biological Sciences, 3: 491-499.