[Institution Title]
Introduction
There is a thin line that separates science and religion. While often conflicting in beliefs and principles, it cannot be denied that both have a significant impact on one another. With this being said, the medical profession has, in fact, recognized the important contribution that religion has towards addressing patients especially in a grave and serious conditions. This paper would like to evaluate the relevance of a spiritual needs assessment, particularly among terminally ill patients. For the purpose of this paper, a self-constructed Spiritual Needs Assessment shall be developed which will be utilized to a terminally ill patient. The needs assessment form would like to assess the mental status of a terminally ill patient as far as spirituality and religion are concerned.
Self-Developed Spiritual Needs Assessment
Spiritual needs assessment is a process undertaken by healthcare professionals to identify the spiritual needs of a patient particularly referring to their mental health care (Clark, Drain, & Malone, 2003). In an article published in 2005, authors Galek, et.al., noted that the importance of getting a good grasp of a patient’s spiritual needs is to allow for the individual’s sound mental wellbeing. For the interview, a 42-year-old female Norwegian patient diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer will be interviewed.
Sample Question:
What is your faith or spiritual belief?
Answer: I am an Atheist. I refuse to believe that there is a God because I believe that if here is a kind and compassionate God, He will not allow for evil, pains and sufferings to frolic into this world.
Is spiritual belief and religion important in your life?
Answer: I can honestly say that religion has no importance to me at all. I grew up in a very religious Catholic family who would religiously attend Sunday masses, partake in the Holy Sacraments and exercise all practices. But right now, I can say I don’t care for any of these anymore.
How does it help you in dealing with your diagnosis?
Answer: It does not help in any way. If there was anything, it only confirmed my belief that there is no God. A supreme God would not allow for pain and hopelessness. But he did allow these to happen to me and for the longest time I live by his teaching.
Did the medical condition you are in at the moment have any impact on your faith and religion?
Answer: Yes, it does. It became a solidifying seal that confirmed my belief in a godless world.
Do you have any expectations with the health care professionals as far as your spiritual needs are concerned?
Answer: If there are any expectations it would be that person working in the healthcare delivery system to be less prying. I would like them to respect me if I don’t feel like joining their rituals.
Analysis
After conducting the interview, it came to this realization that people have different needs and this variability occur even in reference to faith and religion. People can be raised to believe differently just like the patient. Unfortunately, not everyone will retain such beliefs as they grow up and mature. Every individual are molded by their unique experiences. No two persons are alike. In the case of the patient, having grown to a Catholic family, she converted because she couldn’t find meaning and relevance to the teachings of the Catholic Church. According to the patient, she was made to believe that the God of the Catholic faith was a loving and caring God. But over the years with the challenges that confront her family and now herself, she just couldn’t fathom how God can be loving and protective.
Given the opportunity to perform the spirituality need assessment again, I would try to prepare myself with what the patient might reveal during the interview. Furthermore, I should always anticipate irate and hostile patients, especially those patients who are suffering from terminal illness.
The barriers and challenges I’ve noted were the lack of a good foresight. I was not expecting to interview an atheist. Thus, I was caught by surprise and was unable to conduct probing questions that could help understand what the patient’s needs.
The spiritual experience was intense and very uncomfortable. The patient and her family were clashing every time the contradiction. I knew I had a strong faith but I cannot help but consider the logic in the argument of the patient. In the case of the patient, the illness did not intensify the spiritual concern.
