[Spiritual care of a terminal liver cancer patient: a nursing experience].

Death, an unavoidable event in the human experience, causes physical as well as mental and spiritual suffering. This paper reports on a nursing experience giving spiritual care to a terminal liver cancer patient between January 17 and February 9, 2009. Eleven nursing logs were used as the source of data for daily information. During the care period, patient religious needs featured prominently, including his desire to become a Christian and his eagerness to know about and help in the arrangement of his funeral. Taking the initiative, the nurse helped link him with religious resources, arranged a minister for his baptism ceremony, had the priest explain funeral proceedings, and assisted with the completion of his entrusted plans. The function of this nursing care intervention was to provide a personal touch to a patient who was in desperate need of warm spiritual care. It is hoped that this report can help caregivers increase their sensitivity toward patient spiritual needs and enhance routine nursing care quality.