Facilitating Spiritual Care for Whole Person Patient- Centered Care

Abstract

Spirituality is at the core of the person. When nurses care for the whole person, all domains of the person need to be addressed, including the spiritual [1,2]. There is a significant amount of research that indicates that addressing the deep inner needs of a patient will enhance healing [2-4]. While many nurses feel unprepared to facilitate spiritual care Cone PH, et al. [5], most recognize the importance in the overall healing process with their patients [3,6,7]. This can result in an ethical dilemma for nurses, which, if left unresolved, can lead to burn-out and compassion fatigue [5,7]. However, when spiritual practices, including religious as well as non-religious approaches are utilized [8]. Nurses find that their connection to and rapport with their patients can be strengthened [3]. So, what are the steps or approaches that can facilitate spiritual care?