Mapping evidence of workplace spirituality amongst registered nurses

In the past years, health systems had to deal with health crises such as HIV/AIDS, EBOLA, H1N1 and COVID-19. Nurses were expected to ensure that, in the midst of these crises, they still provide health care services to everyone in a caring and efficient environment. When mitigating the spread of the virus, professional nurses were at the same time required to deal with the high risk of infection, inadequate protection, overworking, frustration, discrimination and negative emotions from patients, and this has resulted in the rise of mental health issues, which could have a lasting effect on the overall wellbeing of nurses. Regardless of the effect of a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses work under a complex and often stressful environment that requires fostering wholeness and remaining connected through the practice of workplace spirituality. Therefore, it is important to examine evidence of workplace spirituality and to understand nurses’ perceptions of workplace spirituality and the cultural trends on the promotion or discouragement of workplace spirituality in sub-Saharan African health facilities. Methods A scoping review approach will be adopted to map available evidence on the benefits of workplace spirituality amongst registered nurses in health care facilities in sub-Saharan Africa. The search strategy of the scoping review will include a systematic search of various electronic databases, which encompass EBSCOhost, Eric, PubMed, Google Scholar, Health Source Nursing, Sabinet, and Sage journals. A grey literature search will also be conducted on websites such as the World Health Organisation and government websites to find relevant policies and guidelines. References of all selected studies will be exported to an EndNote library specifically created for this scoping review. The primary researcher will begin by conducting a comprehensive database search for title screening, followed by two independent reviewers screening for eligible abstracts and full articles. Duplicates will be removed during title and abstract screening. Thematic analysis will be used to analyse the included articles. Discussion Often confused with religion, research on workplace spirituality is novel. Evidence on the benefits of workplace spirituality will generate insight into professional nurses’ perceptions of workplace spirituality, its usefulness in promoting wellbeing and mental health in health care facilities. Further, the evidence will illuminate the cultural trends concerning the promotion or discouragement of workplace spirituality in the healthcare sector. The researchers hope to uncover existing gaps in the literature and inform future research on the benefits of workplace spirituality amongst healthcare workers.