Spiritual well-being and spiritual distress in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: utilizing the SWBQ as component of holistic nursing diagnosis

Holistic nursing care requires attention to the spiritual dimension. This is particularly important when caring for patients with cancer. This research presents the results of the assessment of spiritual well-being using the Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire (SWBQ) to validate the nursing diagnosis of spiritual distress. Structured interviews were conducted with 169 patients in one hospital in Portugal. We concluded that the SWBQ is a useful and reliable instrument to assess spiritual distress, which highlights the importance of listening to patients and questioning them about spiritual needs as well as the importance of differential diagnosis aimed at effective interventions.