Spiritual care and learning disability nursing: an exploratory review of the literature

Spiritual support is a key component of holistic nursing care for people with learning disabilities and individualised spiritual care should be integral to learning disability nursing. By developing a trusting therapeutic relationship with the person with a learning disability, the nurse can determine the person's spiritual care needs and contribute to addressing them. However, research into spiritual care and learning disability nursing is scarce.This exploratory review of the literature provides initial groundwork to pave the way for more extensive research. It highlights the potential benefits of spiritual care provision in terms of enhancing people's quality of life; discusses some of the barriers to spiritual care provision; and highlights recent advances in spiritual care education, including the development of core competencies. More primary research on spiritual care is needed to add to the evidence base that learning disability nurses draw on to provide holistic care.