The 's Roles : Integrating Spiritual Care Into The Health System

Spirituality is defined in regards to health care and why spirituality is important to client care is discussed. Nursing care that can nurture a patient’s spirituality include quietly being there to listen to our patients, knowing when to seek a formally trained ministers assistance, and being willing to participate in their spiritual and cultural customs. Spiritual assessment tools can be utilized by healthcare providers to help assess a patient’s spiritual need and to help formulate an individualized plan of care. Three spiritual assessment tools are discussed: HOPE questions, FICA spiritual assessment tool, and the four FACTs spiritual assessment tool. Three personal examples of implementation of spiritual care are included in this paper.

The Bravewell Collaborative. (2015). Spirituality and Religion in Health Care. Retrieved from www.bravewell.org/integrative_medicine/philosophical_foundation/spirituality_and_healthcare/ Curry, K. (n.d.). A Biblical Worldview of Health Care. Retrieved from http://www.hcic.org.au/sites/default/files/imce/Biblical%20Worldview.pdf Mcskimming, S., & Puchalski, C. M. (2006, May).

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.)

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

Health care providers are challenged with caring for patients and families from different religions, faiths and cultures.  It is beneficial for a care provider to have an understanding of different beliefs so that the care and treatment plans coincide with patient’s religious faith.  Creating individualized plans of care to meet the spiritual needs of their patients is necessary for providing them holistic care.  Research is presented on three religious faiths, and their perspective will be compared to Christianity; helping nurses understand and recognize the diversity between different religions and faiths.

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 has been in and out of healthcare and has proven effective every time that it is used. Implementing spirituality into healthcare allows for faster recovery times, better interpersonal relationships with their healthcare providers, and a more holistic approach to healthcare. Several approaches to analyzing it have proven it to be effective but is often not taught when educating future nurses. Through the barriers and the controversy spirituality remains as an important aspect of a patient’s recovery process.

Since nursing began, many different philosophies have helped shape our evolution. Philosophical forces have been spiritual, religious, and gender in nature just to name a few. “Spiritual belief and religious practice contributed significantly to the moral foundation of nursing.” (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014, p. 8) When admitting a patient, I am required to ask if my patient has any spiritual beliefs. We do this because spiritual beliefs have long been thought to play an important part to promote healing. For this reason, it is essential to incorporate whatever their belief into their treatment plan. The same can be said for their religious beliefs. Not all procedures, medications, and treatments are universally accepted among the many different religions. But, we do know that “in all cultures, the nursing profession has been profoundly influenced by various aspects of spirituality and religious practice.”

Spiritual integration in nursing includes providing care to an individual as a whole, considering their social and mental factors, rather than just the physical symptoms of the disease that are presented subjectively or objectively. Rom 15:1 (New International version), can be interpreted as that the nurses have the responsibility of providing care to the patients, in their vulnerable time of sickness without taking credit for it, because God have chosen them to do so for his own glory. Spirituality can have different definitions, to some it can mean having faith in religion, and to others it can mean inner strength through life experiences that bring inspiration. Whereas, many people do not even know they practice spirituality on daily basis, but as nurses we are part of healing process. Recognizing how patient view their health and spiritual needs, can help speedup healing process. This paper will address my recent interaction with an ill patient, how I applied my spiritual belief, values, and faith, and my strength and weakness and areas of improvement in taking care of patient.

This article talks about how a client’s spirituality can influence how he or she receives healthcare, which the Code of Ethics from the CASC does not even touch upon (“Professional Chaplaincy,” 2016, p. 3). I really like this article because it defines the role of chaplains in a clear and concise way: “Professional chaplains offer spiritual care to all who are in need and have specialized education to mobilize spiritual resources so that patients cope more effectively. They maintain confidentiality and provide a supportive context within which patients can discuss their concerns,” (“Professional Chaplaincy,” 2016, p. 6). Since many people have no conception of what a chaplain is and I get many questions about it, this definition will absolutely help when explaining to people about my future career. I think this document as a whole will be a great resource that I will use throughout my time as a

Religion can be described as a way to convey the beliefs and inner spirituality system (Gill, Minton, & Myers, 2010). Spirituality on the other hand was defined as “an awareness of a being or a force that transcends material aspects of life and gives a deep sense of wholeness or connectedness to the universe” (Myers & Sweeney, 2005). Even with there being a difference between the two, there may be an issue with making religion/spirituality a mandatory part of treatment and that is, not everyone may want to incorporate any sort of religion/spirituality into their treatment. To address this issue, a research study by Diallo (2013) was conducted on whether or not a client would be willing to include religion or spirituality in counseling. If the clients were willing, their preferences of the counselors’ knowledge of their religion/spirituality and their background were

Within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), chaplains play many different roles. Chaplains are not only counselors who contend with the spiritual and religious needs of veterans and their families, they also aid with the emotional, mental, physical, and relational needs of veterans. Recognizing the aid and guidance chaplains give veterans is important in realizing the special utility they serve. In realizing the benefit to veterans and their families, the VA is integrating chaplains into mental health

Spirituality and religion hold different values and truths depending on your personal beliefs. Being religious is a belief or practice that contains certain values one should follow. When looking deeper into religion you can find spirituality which is the part of religion that effects our spirit and soul, it is not tangible. “The Sacred within” is spirituality and pertains to God dwelling inside of our heart and soul. When looking at “the sacred within” there are certain senses that we can tap into so, we may obtain that sort of spirituality. Through solitude, silence, imagination, and nature, we can have a better sense of spirituality.

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).