Spirituality and Health

Paper Summary:

This paper evaluates the patients' and staffs' perspectives of the relevance, importance and promotion of spirituality in the health care institution and the institution's effectiveness in promoting spiritual care. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the relevant literature to develop a better understanding of the concepts of spiritual health in general, and how it applies to health care and workplace settings in particular. A summary of the research and salient findings are presented in the conclusion.

Introduction
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
Spirituality in Health Care
Definition of Terms
Prayer and Spirituality
Spiritual Health
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Medical care that neglects the spiritual dimension cannot be called holistic. It overlooks a vital component of human nature, the spirit that nourishes and sustains the spark of life. Holistic health care, therefore, includes meeting the patient's physiological needs, promoting psychosocial relationships and supporting the fulfillment of spiritual aspirations. This interdependence of the physiological, the psychosocial and the spiritual aspects of development should be realized. Just as unexpressed anger and resentment can cause diseases referred to as psychosomatic, forms of spiritual distress such as guilt, irascibility, lack of forgiveness of self or others, and vindictiveness can lead to illness and suffering. To provide spiritual care, staff members must understand what spiritual health is and be able to recognize the spiritually healthy person. In the United States, early schools of nursing were affiliated with specific Christian religious organizations, and, within this context, student nurses were taught to include prayer as part of their care. Increasing cultural diversity and the emergence of public and nonsectarian hospitals and care facilities, ultimately eroded "official" prayer from most nursing curricula. In recent years, however, courses on spirituality have begun to reemerge (Snyder and Lindquist, 2002)."

More papers on Spirituality and Health:

• Research Paper # 47141 : "Spirituality and Terminal Illness"
• Article Review # 137235 : "Health, Spirituality and Women"
• Book Review # 107763 : "Psychology, Spirituality, and Healing"

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