Vignettes as a novel research tool in spiritual care: A methods paper

Abstract

Aims: To discuss the construction and use of vignettes as a novel approach in spiritual care research and education. Design: Methods paper. Methods: In this methods paper, the authors introduce the use of vignettes in spiritual care research and provide insight into the construction of vignettes. The vignette presented was part of a study of neurosurgical nurses\u27 attitudes and responses to the spiritual needs of neuro-oncology patients. The development process, consisting of four steps, is explained in this paper. Results: Using a vignette to explore nurses\u27 attitudes towards spiritual care is an inno-vative way to understand what behaviours nurses consider appropriate in situations where the patient is seeking meaning and connection. Transparent description of the development process is crucial to ensure reproducibility. Conclusion: The use of theoretically constructed and validated vignettes in spiritual care research is new. Vignettes used in surveys have the potential to elicit nurses\u27 responses to patients\u27 search for meaning and connectedness. Implications: In order to investigate nurses\u27 attitudes and behaviours towards pa-tients\u27 spiritual needs, carefully constructed and validated vignettes are valuable re-search tools. Impact: Vignettes have proven to be a valuable research tool in the social and health sciences. So far, their use as a survey instrument in spiritual care research has not been investigated. Therefore, this method paper introduces vignettes as a novel ap-proach to spiritual care research. Our findings contribute to the further development of vignettes in nursing science, as there are similarities with case development and simulation training in nursing education.Reporting Method: Reporting guideline is not applicable.Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution