Spiritual Assessment Essay

4. Hodge, D. (2001). Spiritual assessment: a review of major qualitative methods and a new framework for assessing spirituality. Social Work , 203-214

In providing basic health care in hospitals, medical practitioners should not only focus on giving physical treatment to patients but also provide spiritual and psychological assessment and management for them. This practice as suggested by many studies (see Chapman, 2003; Eberst, n.d.,) can help the hospitals develop a new method of healing that is more holistic in approach. The Joint Commission (2005) recommends spiritual assessment program which can help the medical officers to know the needs of the patients aside from the usual physical treatment. It will help them

Spirituality is a delicate topic, and some may not be open to talking about their beliefs. Spirituality is generally understood to be an essential aspect of being human (Lyndo-Lam, 2012). Assessing the spiritual needs of patients is a key component in the nursing process. A compassionate and thoughtful nurse can make a patient feel more secure, making it easier for him to express his spirituality. The participation of both patient and health care provider is vital in promoting spiritual health. The main focus of a spiritual assessment is to gather information regarding the patient’s spiritual needs in order incorporate them into the plan of care, so as to treat

During the last week I have been observing spiritual needs of patients in the Carl T Hayden Medical center in Phoenix Arizona. A majority of the assessment was observation based and one patient was open to some questions. The assessment tool I used is a set of five questions and the tool is always preceded by observation. The assessment is based on the observation period involves looking for obvious signs of religious or spiritual activity. These signs could be religious literature in the patient possession, wearing religious insignia; such a necklace with a cross or Star of David, and noticing the activity of the chaplain rounds. My assessment is based off of the F.I.C.A

Religion and spirituality is a major essential part of one’s’ health. They have included things such as prayer in healing, counseling, and the use of meditation. Spiritual issues make a difference in an individual’s experience of illness and health. With spirituality, the health care providers can learn to support the values for the art of healing. The health care provider must have respect for their patient’s religion. (Larry Dossey. Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine. Harper Collins, San Francisco. 1993.)

I have spent the majority of my career in the ED and have recently transitioned into a management role so it has been years since I performed a spiritual assessment. However, while working on the inpatient unit, I can recall performing spiritual assessments as a part of the admission assessment. Far less detailed that the FICA spiritual assessment, the basic assessment included the patient’s religious preference, religious commitment scoring, and desire for a Chaplain during their hospital stay. Spiritual assessments relay the individual’s spiritual life history, allowing practitioners to gain multidimensional insight into family dynamics and spiritual framework (Hodge, 2001).

For health care providers to deliver the best holistic care that patients deserve, a thorough spiritual assessment must be included during their care. With more research showing a relationship between supporting a patient’s spirituality with their health and ability to cope with illness, it is now a requirement of organizations to include a spiritual assessment to maintain accreditation with The Joint Commission. The minimum required of a spiritual assessment by The Joint Commission is to determine the patient’s religion and

Spirituality is considered one of the components of health and wellness, and is a contributory factor in the delivery of holistic care (O’Shea, Wallace, Griffin, & Fitzpatrick, 2011). It only makes sense for us nurses to study and research spirituality since the nursing profession is committed to holistic development, which includes the spiritual dimension of life. However, elements such as time constraints, short staffing, insufficient formal education related to spiritual assessment and confusion between spirituality and religion have led to spirituality becoming a disregarded component of care (O’Shea et al., 2011). Adolescence is a crucial time in the development of a person’s spiritual path (Benson & Roehlkepartain, 2008). Findings showed that most adolescents hold spiritual or religious beliefs already and choose to draw on them when experiencing life-changing events. Despite this information, healthcare professionals overlook the spiritual needs of adolescents (Neuman, 2011).

“Spirituality is derived from the Latin word spiritus, spirit, the essential part of the person which controls the mind and the mind controls the body. Thus the spirit is the vital life force which motivate people and influence ones life, health behavior and relationships” (Baldacchino & Draper, 2001). She also stated that spirituality is the mainstream of life which unifies all aspects of the human being. Spirituality applies to both believers and non believers, including the presence of diverse cultural beliefs (Baldacchino & Draper, 2001). Culliford stated that : “In times of emotional stress, physical illness, loss, bereavement and death human beings tend to find comfort, peace, inspiration, reverence and meaning by focusing on their spirituality whether they believe in God or not” (Culliford, 2002). In a study conducted by Tuck and Thingajana the meaning of spirituality was voiced by person living with HIV disease and healthy adults. The definitions voiced by the HIV patients were that “Spirituality is relating and believing in God, who is always present. It is perceived as being guided or helped or being inspired or giving unto. Spirituality includes the process of journeying, discovering and centering and is outwardly expressed” (Tuck & Thinganjana, 2007). The definitions of Spirituality expressed by the healthy individuals were that:

FICA was formulated by a group health care professionals (physicians) and currently authenticated by City of Hope. In addition, FICA is generally known in the United States (US) as well as Canada. Moreover, it is being applied to investigate spiritual distress, occurs when a person is incapable of finding the sources of optimism, affection, truce, energy, and associations in life or when a battle happens between a person’s principle and what is the circumstances in his life (Anandarajah & Hight, 2001), classify the patient’s origin of energy and to incorporate the identified information to patient plan of care. On the hand HOPE, Anandarajah & Hight, (2001) stated that the questionnaires in HOPE evaluation tools have not been substantiated by

A Spiritual Condition Evaluation paper will be required of you. (Note: Write about yourself. However, If you would rather not write about yourself, you may select a living famous person to evaluate with the instructor’s prior approval. Remember in the final analysis, whether writing about yourself or someone else, only God knows a person’s heart completely so try to be both humble and gentle). This document will run from 900–1,500 words. You will use the course’s

About 95% of Americans recently professed a belief in God or a higher power and 9 out of 10 people also said that they pray, most of them (67%–75%) on a daily basis (Gallup & Lindsay, 1999). The interest in spirituality and treatment has been growing, particularly for the treatment of alcoholics (Kurtz & White, 2015). Spirituality impacts how clinicians practice and patients' decision-making (Peteet, Balboni, Michael, 2013). Mindfulness, a spiritual practice has been shown to enhance clinician self-care and equanimity (Peteet, Balboni, Michael, 2013). Understanding how different ethnic groups view themselves in terms of spirituality can aid treatment providers in their cultural competence and in their decision-making regards to the type of treatment.

Leslie thank you; this is a great tool. SPIRIT is an in-depth tool it can reveal a wealth of information just by completing the form. Spirituality can be a source of comfort for many people. This tool can help prevent spiritual distress which could hinder a patient's progress (Black, 2014). Spiritual practices encourage greater mental and physical health; therefore, physical activities should be promoted if it is beneficial to the patient's health (Weber & Kelly, 2014). For instance, if a Muslim patient is admitted there are religious and spiritual needs that the patient would like the nurse caring for them to know. Such as no meal that contains pork or alcohol, to make time in between care for prayers, if terminal religious practices that

Additionally, the use of the Bible in therapy has shown to assist those who are struggling with religion and spirituality. Placing value on spiritual aspects has the potential to improve mindfulness and to deepen its benefits. The use of religion in treatment has shown improvements in areas like stress and worry and is linked to increased patient fulfilment as well as assisting those who are struggling with their

A fulfilling, healthful life is a direct result of our personal faith and how we care for ourselves. Research proves there is a connection between living a life of faith, being healthy and therefore being able to heal successfully. Any effective treatment has to address the whole person; mind, body, and spirit, and not just “the colon cancer in room four-eighty” (Koenig 65). Moreover, as important as it is for doctors and caregivers to treat the whole person, “A joyful heart is the health of the body, but a depressed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22) so ultimately our spirit and positivity is key to our personal triumphs and successes. While faith is definitely an important aspect in our acceptance of health setbacks and our general outlook on life, the West has not embodied or encouraged the connection between the body, the spirit, and the environment anywhere to the extent that East has. America is in need of a paradigm shift away from the culture of treatment instead of prevention, pill popping to alleviate symptoms, and the dehumanizing affects of technology to treat, and towards the idea of whole body healing incorporating spirituality and the church, the support of caring doctors, and most importantly our personal health and the role we play in helping ourselves heal.