Integrating Spirituality as a Key Component of Patient Care

Religions

Suzette Brémault-Phillips¹  Joanne Olson⁹  Pamela Brett-MacLean²  Doreen Oneschuk⁵  Shane Sinclair³  Ralph Magnus⁶  Jeanne Weis⁷  Marjan Abbasi⁴  Jasneet Parmar⁴  Christina M. Puchalski⁸ 

[1] Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, 2-64 Corbett Hall, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB T6G 2G4, Canada;Arts & Humanities in Health & Medicine (Undergraduate Medical Education Program), Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, 1-001 Katz Group Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB T6G 2E1, Canada; E-Mail:;Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary AB T2N 1N4, Canada; E-Mail:;Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB T6G 2C8, Canada; E-Mails:;Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB T6L 5X8, Canada; E-Mail:;Spiritual Care, Covenant Health, Edmonton AB T6L 5X8, Canada; E-Mail:;Faculty of Health and Community Studies, NorQuest College, Edmonton AB T5J 1L6, Canada; E-Mail:;The George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20036, USA; E-Mail:;Faculty of Nursing, 4-299 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy (ECHA), University of Alberta, Edmonton AB T6G 1C9, Canada; E-Mail:

关键词: spirituality;    spiritual care;    healthcare professionals;    spiritual history;    patient care;    interprofessional;   

DOI  :  10.3390/rel6020476

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Patient care frequently focuses on physical aspects of disease management, with variable attention given to spiritual needs. And yet, patients indicate that spiritual suffering adds to distress associated with illness. Spirituality, broadly defined as that which gives meaning and purpose to a person’s life and connectedness to the significant or sacred, often becomes a central issue for patients. Growing evidence demonstrates that spirituality is important in patient care. Yet healthcare professionals (HCPs) do not always feel prepared to engage with patients about spiritual issues. In this project, HCPs attended an educational session focused on using the FICA Spiritual History Tool to integrate spirituality into patient care. Later, they incorporated the tool when caring for patients participating in the study. This research (1) explored the value of including spiritual history taking in clinical practice; (2) identified facilitators and barriers to incorporating spirituality into person-centred care; and (3) determined ways in which HCPs can effectively utilize spiritual history taking. Data were collected using focus groups and chart reviews. Findings indicate positive impacts at organizational, clinical/unit, professional/personal and patient levels when HCPs include spirituality in patient care. Recommendations are offered.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.