Abstract

The purpose of this descriptive study was to compare the level of the spiritual care needs and spiritual care received among Muslim patients at the end of life during hospitalisation. The subjects were recruited using purposive sampling from the end of life Muslim patients during hospitalisation in five main government hospitals, namely Yala Hospital, Pattani Hospital, Narativas Hospital, Betong Hospital, and Su-Ngaikolok Hospital, and/or family caregivers who used to provide care to their dying family members while hospitalised in these hospitals. The data were collected from 174 subjects from November 2008 to January 2009. The research instruments were questionnaires developed by the researcher. Cronbach's α of reliability coefficients of the spiritual care needs among Muslim patients at the end of life during hospitalisation and received spiritual care among Muslim patients at the end of life during hospitalised in the hospitals questionnaires were 0.86 and 0.94, respectively. Data were analysed using percentage, mean, SD and paired t test.

The results were as follows:

1. The mean total score of the spiritual care needs of Muslim patients at the end of life during hospitalisation was at a high level. The highest mean score was that of the needs for hope, followed the score of needs for meaningful and purposive life aspects and the needs for relationships with another and/or a supreme being.

2. There was a statistically significant difference between the spiritual care needs and spiritual care received among Muslim patients at the end of life during hospitalisation (p<0.001). This indicated that the level of spiritual care received was high but still did not meet the spiritual care needs of the patients. The findings should be beneficial in providing information for nurses to improve their spiritual care to meet the clients' care needs and be congruent with their belief and culture.