Spiritual Care

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).

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

Spiritual care can significantly improve the physical and mental health of nursing home residents. Elderly people are going through a period of life that is set apart by the loss of ability, wellbeing, freedom, and companions. Religious and spiritual individuals regularly utilize their faith and beliefs to adapt to these losses, thus it is critical to keep on providing religious services for seniors who need them. Unfortunately after admitting to the nursing homes, the spiritual and religious needs of residents are often overlooked. (BRIA Health Services, 2016). The Joint Commission- a non-profit organization evaluating the healthcare organizations for quality states, "Patients have a fundamental right to considerate care that safeguards their personal dignity and respects their cultural, psychosocial, and spiritual values" (JCAHO, 2009). Tending to the emotional and spiritual needs of patients, is considered to be a priority quality improvement in healthcare. A nursing home chaplain can meet the religious and spiritual needs of residents, residents’ families, administration, and employees. The purpose of this paper is to provide an executive summary of a project that is creating a position of nursing chaplain, to the Board for approval of funding of the project.

The second factor is faith-hope that translates to being authentically present, and enabling the beliefs of the patient being cared for and the professional who is providing patient care. The third factor is sensitivity to self and other, this becomes cultivations of one’s own spiritual practices, going beyond self, and opening to others with compassion and kindness. The fourth factor is helping, trusting, human care relationship that evolves to developing and maintaining a trusting, authentic, and caring relationship. The fifth factor is expressing positive and negative feeling. The translation of this factor is being supportive when positive and negative feelings with a connection of a higher spirit. The sixth factor is creative problem-solving caring process. This factor requires scientific problem-solving for decision-making and creative use of self. The seventh factor is transpersonal teaching-learning. When using the seventh factor the nurse engages in sincere teaching learning experience. The eighth factor is supportive, protective, and corrective mental, physical, social, and spiritual environment. The environment created allows healing to occur at different levels. The ninth factor is human needs assistance. The patient receives assistance with basic needs with special attention to the mind, body, and soul. The tenth factor is existential phenomenological spiritual

How do your spiritual beliefs apply to your health? The most successful nurses can demonstrate a cultural awareness of self first which then carriers over into a keener cultural awareness of others. This understanding helps a nurse since over the past several decades most health organizations have been encouraged to become more culturally aware of the populations they serve and required to conform to national standards implemented by organizations such as The Joint Commission, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services organizations (Potter, Perry, & Stockert, 2016). Cultural self-awareness is a key to help all nurses provide the standard of cultural competent care set forth by the above listed national organizations.

The primary thing that was similar about all response was that each individual was open to receiving spiritual care from other as long as that care was respectful of the individual’s beliefs. I believe that humans have a fundamental need to connect with others, and when spiritual need is amplified by physical illness we will be happy to receive support as long as it is done in a respectful manner. In Radical Loving Care, Chapman (2006) states that there are many parts of the medical experience that care takers do to and for patients, and many of these has nothing to do with medical care. I agree that spiritual care is separate from medical care, but it also coequal to medical care especially for patients facing the ends of their

As Christians, we are taught to not judge others because it is not our place, so as nurses we would not judge our patients and their personal decisions. I believe Christianity makes us more understanding of people and the situations they are going through. Being understanding can help us to respect our patient’s religious/nonreligious views. An important effect this faith-based program could have on our future careers as nurses is our level of holistic care. At MVNU, we are taught to love all of God’s creations. We are supposed to think of all humans as our brothers and sisters, this could affect how much we care for our patients emotionally. Christian nurses may be better morally guided when providing care. We may be able to connect with some of our patients on a deeper level because of our spirituality. This faith-based program will help us work towards doing everything in Christ’s

Spiritual assessment and care of a patient at each medical or psychiatric appointment is an essential aspect of providing adequate care by all NPs. To be able to do so, NP must understand that spirituality and religiosity are not synonymous. Unlike the concept of religion, which defined by the online Oxford dictionary (2017) as “The belief in a worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods,” spirituality holds various definitions depending on whom you ask. According to Taylor (2002; who credits Reed [1992]) “…spirituality refers to that part of being human that seeks meaningfulness through intra-, inter-, and transpersonal connection (p. 10). Therefore, rapport with each

First, Pesut uses the arrangement of her ideas to appeal to the audience’s intellect. The article is arranged through deductive reasoning from broad to more specific, as she first describes the religious cultural context and finishes by suggesting ways to improve individual spiritual care in practice. Pesut states that she will arrange her ideas this way in her article: “I will begin by discussing the context that has created barriers to nursing theorizing about religious care. I will then suggest that this neglect of religious theory has produced a spirituality theory-religious theory gap (…) I will then conclude with three recommendations for integrating theory about religious care into nursing education which complements the teaching of

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

A healing hospital offers a healing environment for the patient in every aspect. Physical and spiritual. A healing physical environment provide a sense of wellbeing, and a medium for healing. Methodological modernisms that relief stress and conduct peace and healing are adopted so to promote healing taking into account everything in the nature that can help accomplishing this objective. For instance it has been acknowledged that the fresh air, the sun, a beautiful view, silence or cleanliness can promote healing. The 20th century has offered alternatives to the conventional way hospital have been designed in the past. Private rooms big screen televisions, inspirational quotes on the halls, to name a few are contributing to a less stressful

One of the most difficult yet, pivotal times in a person 's’ life is when they are reaching the end of their life’s journey. A common coping mechanism utilized in the current hospice care system is spiritual care. However, when patients and their families hear the word “spirituality” they often think this type of care focuses exclusively on religious affiliations. While a person’s religious views greatly influence one’s spirituality, many researchers agree a person’s spirituality can take on a variety forms and meanings. For example, some people view their spirituality in a religious form, while others view their spirituality in a more general and non-religious form, which can make a hospice social worker, or chaplain’s job challenging at times. Because the current elderly society is rapidly growing in numbers, it is critical that further research is concentrated on the training and social work curriculum of spiritual care, so hospice social workers can become more culturally and spiritually competent, and ultimately possess the proper skills to adequately offer spiritual assistance as an option to ease the death, dying and grieving process for patients and their families.

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

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).

Nurses that listen to their patients, not only notice that they are physically hurt, but they can also notice their emotional wounds. The empathy of knowing that the patient is emotionally hurt is part of the spirituality connection. Therefore, they might need comfort. O’Brien (2001) states that, “ No other profession provides the opportunity to touch and be touched by the human spirit as does the practice of nursing. It is this intimacy that calls us to reverence: reverence for God as our creator and Lord…” (pg.110). Nurses have the privilege to connect with people in ways that no other profession may be able to provide. Since nurses are patients advocate, our duty is to connect them with their spiritual beliefs and