Aims: This article aims to contribute to the growing field of spirituality and nursing management by analysing bibliographic data on peer-reviewed research in the field.
Background: Articles on spirituality and nursing management often claim that these fields have grown over the past two decades. This article gathers empirical evidence to test these claims.
Evaluation: Bibliometric data on peer-reviewed research articles on nursing, nursing management, spirituality and religion in the Social Sciences Citation Index were analysed to ascertain general trends in publication and citation.
Key issues: The data support claims that research activity and interest in both spirituality and religion in the field of nursing have grown steeply over recent years, and continue to accelerate.
Conclusions: The research identified spirituality as a beneficial variable in management, training and/or care scenarios. Critical studies of nursing management spiritual initiatives could add considerably to the growing body of research and theory in this field.
Implications for nursing management: It is essential that nurse managers be equipped to foster not only a broader understanding of the variety of faith traditions found in a multi-cultural society, but also to develop an understanding of the ways in which individuals engage in spiritual practice outside traditional religious settings.
Keywords: bibliometrics; nurse managers; nurses; religion; spirituality.
© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.