Spirituality in Nursing: The Challenges of Complexity

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.