Spiritual care is an important aspect of healthcare provision, as it allows both the providers and patients to cope with stressful environments. In addition, spiritual wellness plays a central role in people’s lives as it offers hope through the thought that a higher being can influence various life outcomes. In the article, “Prayer Circles and the Perception of Work Environment,” Cannon et al. (2019) sought to understand the impact of prayer as one of the useful tools that healthcare providers could apply in their day-to-day practice for self-care and professionalism. This paper analyzes the article by Cannon et al. (2019) to highlight some of its strengths and weaknesses.
The purpose of this study was to “identify how group prayer may have influenced healthcare workers’ perceptions regarding the work environment” (Cannon et al., 2019, p. 312). According to the article, spirituality in nursing practice is important because it forms an integral part of the care given to patients, hence the need to study this topic. In this study, Cannon et al. (2019) used a convenience sample of 28 healthcare providers who participated in the study for one month. To collect data, the author used a 10-item questionnaire whereby the participants were required to answer several questions after the 1-month experience. The study received approval from the relevant Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the hospital’s relevant authorities. The results showed that prayer is an important self-care tool that healthcare workers use to deal with stressful work environments, and thus in the process, it facilitates the delivery of quality and timely care to patients coupled with promoting professionalism in the industry.
One of the strengths of this article is that it is well structured for easy understanding. The author used appropriate headings and subheadings, which allows the reader to follow what is being said. For instance, on the first page, a detailed summary is given concerning the background and purpose of the study, the methodology used, results obtained, and a conclusion. As such, a reader could gather enough information about the article by looking at the first page. Secondly, the author used simple language intended for a general audience. Even though the findings of the study would be highly useful among healthcare providers, anyone with interest in the role of spirituality in healthcare provision could benefit immensely from this article because the language is simple and straightforward.
Similarly, the author used a wide range of reputable and peer-reviewed references to support the claims made therein and the subsequent results. This aspect improves the credibility and reliability of the results. Additionally, the author indicated the study’s limitations, which is a sound scientific practice, as it allows researchers to be objective when drawing conclusions from their studies. The author also clearly states the clinical implication of the findings. Additionally, the author sought permission from the relevant IRBs before conducting the study, which is an important aspect when dealing with human subjects for the sake of maintaining ethical standards in research.
However, the study has various weaknesses, as discussed here. First, the major limitation of this study is the use of a small sample size, which means the results might not be generalizable in other set-ups. For instance, a sample size of 28 participants was used, and the results obtained might not be generalizable in other care settings. According to Malterud et al. (2016), the problem with small sample sizes is that it is difficult to attain data saturation, which means the results obtained from a particular study might not be reliable. The article by Cannon et al. (2019) is subject to the limitations associated with small sample sizes. In addition, the study focused only on one hospital; hence, the findings could be limited in their generalizability (Carminati, 2018). Another outstanding weakness of the study is the use of outdated sources. The nursing practice is constantly evolving and evidence-based data are being published in various researches. Therefore, it is important for researchers to focus on recent references when conducting their studies in a bid to ensure recentness and relevance.
In the article, “Prayer Circles and the Perception of Work Environment,” the author focused on understanding how healthcare providers apply the concept of spirituality in their day-to-day practices when offering services to patients. Healthcare work environments could be stressful, hence the need to have a way of self-care for the provision of quality services and maintenance of professionalism. The author used a small sample of 28 participants from a selected healthcare facility. The results confirmed the argument that spirituality is an integral component of care provision as health care workers use it to deal with stress and take care of themselves, which ultimately translates into improved patient outcomes. The article has several strengths, including the use of peer-reviewed references, which improves the reliability of the results. The author also used simple language coupled with elaborate formatting of the article for easy reading. However, the study has some limitations, such as the use of a small sample size, which affects the generalizability of the results.
References
Cannon, E., Bauer’s, R., Finch, M., Wallen, H., & Shaw, A. (2019). Prayer circles and the perception of work environment. Medsurg Nursing, 28(5), 311-316.
Carminati, L. (2018). Generalizability in qualitative research: A tale of two traditions. Qualitative Health Research, 28(13), 2094-2101.
Malterud, K., Siersma, V. D., & Guassora, A. D. (2016). Sample size in qualitative interview studies: Guided by information power. Qualitative Health Research, 26(13), 1753-1760.