The Relationship Between Nurses' Spiritual Well-Being and Patient Privacy: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Serpil Su, Ayşe Kacaroğlu Vicdan
PMID 42001227WHAT IT FOUND
Nurses who reported higher spiritual well-being also reported better adherence to patient privacy practices.
The study relied on self-assessment, so it shows a link between how nurses feel and what they say they do, not an objective measure of care.
Key findings
01There was a statistically significant positive correlation between nurses' spiritual well-being scores and their self-reported patient privacy scores.
02Nurses with higher spiritual well-being scores also reported higher scores for protecting bodily privacy, sexual privacy, and the privacy of patients unable to protect themselves.
03Nurses who worked longer hours per week reported lower spiritual well-being and paid less attention to bodily privacy and providing a safe environment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used self-reported measures for both spiritual well-being and privacy practices, which may be subject to social desirability bias (nurses reporting what they think is expected). It was a cross-sectional design, so it can show a relationship but cannot prove that spiritual well-being causes better privacy practices. The sample was limited to one hospital in Turkey, which may not generalize to other cultures or healthcare systems. Voluntary participation may have introduced selection bias, as nurses with higher well-being or interest in the topic may have been more likely to respond. Ceiling effects were noted, as mean scores were high, potentially limiting the ability to detect differences.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Funding was provided by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK).
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the correlation as proof that spiritual well-being directly improves patient privacy practices. The study relied on nurses' self-assessments of both their well-being and their privacy behaviors, which can be inflated by social desirability. Additionally, the cross-sectional design cannot determine causality.