The sense of coherence scale in a clinical nursing perspective: A scoping review

Background The concept of sense of coherence explains a person's resources to maintain health during times of considerable strain and is suggested to be applicable in nursing. A summary of how it has been applied and adapted in clinical nursing is warranted for further conceptual development and research. Objective The scoping review aimed to explore how the sense of coherence scale has been used from a clinical nursing research perspective. Method Published articles (N = 2812) through December 2018 were identified in the PubMed, Cinahl and PsychInfo databases. A total of 298 articles were included in the review. A five-stage process was used to extract data based on pre-determined selection criteria. Summative content analysis was used for the categorisation of the data. The PRISMA-ScR checklist was chosen. Results A majority of the articles were published within the Nordic countries and the short version SOC-13 was the most frequently used scale. Most studies stated the significant relationship of a higher sense of coherence and higher emotional and psychosocial well-being, quality of life, and well-being irrespective of condition. Other articles proposed identifying patients' degree of sense of coherence either to individualise care or to plan an intervention to strengthen sense of coherence. Conclusions The sense of coherence scale has been widely used within nursing and identified as an important factor to individualise care. Future research should focus on rigorous intervention studies to determine if recognising patients' degree of sense of coherence in clinical nursing enables tailored care for patients when dealing with a disease-related condition. More evidence is needed when seeking to improve sense of coherence. Relevance to clinical practice These results show an expansion of the concept of sense of coherence and endorses its use in nursing care for identifying patients' needs in the process of presenting individualised care.