Workplace spirituality in nursing: a concept analysis

Workplace spirituality has been increasingly recognized as a vital resource for supporting nurses’ well-being, retention, and quality of care. However, the concept is ambiguously defined in the nursing literature and is frequently conflated with related constructs such as spiritual well-being, religiosity, and spiritual care. Accordingly, the aim of this concept analysis was to clarify the defining characteristics of workplace spirituality in nursing and to provide a framework that can guide nursing management, education, practice, and research. Walker and Avant’s eight-step concept analysis method was applied. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, Airiti Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). In accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 screening procedures, 31 empirical studies were included in this concept analysis. Data were extracted and synthesized to identify defining attributes, antecedents, consequences, model cases, and empirical referents of workplace spirituality in nursing. Workplace spirituality in nursing was characterized by three defining attributes: meaningful work, sense of community, and alignment with organizational values. Several secondary attributes were also identified: inner life, compassion and empathy, transcendence, mindfulness, and sense of calling. However, the secondary attributes demonstrated less conceptual consistency across the included studies. Antecedents identified across the included studies were clustered into three categories: personal factors, work stressors, and organizational support and culture. Moreover, consequences identified across the included studies were clustered into three domains: individual outcomes (e.g. well-being and reduced burnout), professional outcomes (e.g. work engagement and care quality), and organizational outcomes (e.g. retention and organizational commitment). Workplace spirituality in nursing is a multidimensional professional experience through which nurses derive meaning from their work, experience connectedness with colleagues, and perceive congruence between personal and organizational values. This analysis provides a clearer conceptual foundation for future instrument development and offers nurse managers a practical framework for fostering healthy work environments, strengthening workforce retention, and supporting sustainable nursing practice.