Spirituality
Spirituality has been recognized as an integral aspect of patient care. It has been proven that being spiritual is positively correlated to the outcome of care that a patient gets. In view of this, it is important for the healthcare provider to acquaint himself or herself with the spirituality of the patient in order to positively contribute to the holistic care of the patient (Puchalski, 2001).
With respect to oneself, one must be prepared to take a good spiritual history from the patient. This is the first step in involving spirituality in the health of the patient. Taking a good spirituality history would allow the healthcare provider to know the spiritual ideals that the patient subscribes to. Also, the willingness of the healthcare provider to allow the patient to express his or her spiritual ideals is also an important aspect (Galanter, 2008), (Puchalski, 2001). The health care provider must maintain an objective and non-judgmental view about the spirituality of the patient if any meaningful progress is to be made about their spirituality.
With respect to the patient, one must approach the issue of spirituality when the patient is most comfortable and not at times when the patient is agitated. This would allow the patient to express his or her feelings freely (Galanter, 2008).
The healthcare provider also has a role to play in involving the patient's family in the issue by encouraging them to participate in spiritual activities with the patient (Galanter, 2008).
With respect to one’s colleagues, it is important to create an enabling environment in the workplace and encourage all the staff involved in the management of the patient to respect the spiritual values and ideals that the patient hold in high esteem and also to respect whatever decision which the patient has made as a result of their spiritual orientation within the confines of the ethical principles laid down by the profession (Galanter, 2008)
In conclusion, it is important that the issue of spirituality be integrated into the holistic care of the patient as it has been proven to be essential for the speedy resolution of patients’ health issues.
REFERENCES
Puchalski C M (2001). The role of spirituality in health care. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 2001 October; 14(4): 352–357. PMCID: PMC1305900. Retrieved on 30th June 2013 from <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1305900/>
Galanter M et al (2008).Addressing Patients’ Spirituality in Medical Treatment .Primary Psychiatry. 2008; 15(9):82-90. Retrieved on 30th June 2013 from <http://www.primarypsychiatry.com/aspx/articledetail.aspx?articleid=1727>
