# ‘Nurses as Gatekeepers’: Nurses’ Responses to Spiritual Needs of Patients with Primary Malignant Brain Tumors in Austria—Analysis of a Qualitative Vignette Study

## TL;DR

The study explores how nurses in Austria act as gatekeepers for spiritual care in multidisciplinary teams for brain tumor patients.

## Contribution

It introduces the concept of nurses as gatekeepers in facilitating spiritual care referrals in neuro-oncology.

## Key findings

- Nurses play a critical role in identifying and referring patients' spiritual needs to specialists.
- Effective referrals depend on nurses' understanding of spiritual care professionals' roles.
- Thematic analysis revealed the importance of teamwork in addressing complex spiritual needs.

## Abstract

This paper investigates the nurses’ gatekeeping role for spiritual care in multi-disciplinary teams as a way of responding to the spiritual needs of patients with brain tumors in Austria. Using a validated vignette in an online survey, qualitative data from 56 neurosurgical nurses (30.4% response rate) were analyzed via reflexive thematic analysis. One key theme, Nurses as Gatekeepers – Referral and Working with other Health Care Professionals, highlights nurses’ critical role in spiritual care. Effective referrals depend on nurses’ awareness of spiritual care specialists’ roles, emphasizing their importance in ensuring comprehensive, team-based care for neuro-oncological patients with complex spiritual needs.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10943-025-02278-7.