Spiritual Needs - Assignment Example

?Spiritual Assessment Health care staff in the 21st century should be seeing their patients as whole people, that is not just the cancer in bed 3, but a person with mental and spiritual needs as well as physical ones. Research findings which considered results from some 126,000 participants reveal that spiritual beliefs and practices can have a positive effect upon health and life expectation (Professional Chaplains undated). The results show that those who had frequent involvements in spiritual matters were significantly more likely to have longer, healthier lives. (McCullough, Hoyt, Larson, Koenig & Thoresen, 2000 ) Thesis - Of course any patient needs treatment for his illness, but this should be given as part of a holistic approach which includes an attempt to both assess and to meet his spiritual needs, whatever his particular faith stance and practice. . In order to do this effectively it is necessary to be aware of particular spiritual needs. For this reason each patient should be assessed spiritually. A number of question s should be asked in order to arrive at the truth regarding an individual’s spiritual state. The answers then provide clues or pointers to what is required – does the person want to see a minister, to receive the Eucharist, or perhaps need space to put down a prayer mat if they are a Muslim. Dameron ( JCN , volume 22) has produced useful acronym based spiritual assessment questions based upon the FICA model:- 1. Faith or beliefs. What are your spiritual beliefs? Do you consider yourself to be spiritual? What things do you consider give meaning to life? 2. Importance and Influence. Is faith /spirituality important to you? How has your illness/ hospitalization affected your personal practices / beliefs? 3. Community. Do you have a connection with a faith group in the community? Does it provide support/comfort for you during times of special stress? Is there a person /group/leader who supports/assists you in your spirituality? 4. Address. What can I do for you? What support/ guidance can health care provide to support your spiritual beliefs/ practices? 5. I would add a sixth point – a follow up a few days later. How are you now spiritually? Is there anything else we can do to help? These question s are not necessarily meant to be posed as stated. Rather they provide an inclusive framework. They may not necessarily be addressed directly to the patient , but may be based upon observation, if for instance the patient has difficulty speaking or when there is a language barrier. They may for instance be wearing a cross or a Sikh steel bangle The questions do not include words specific to particular religious groups e.g .church, temple, synagogue, sacraments. It isn’t that these may not be used, but rather that it is necessary to establish first of all if the patient does belong to a particular faith ]tradition e.g. If they ‘I go to the Episcopalian church in my town.’ the care provider might go on to ask if anyone from the church know you are in hospital? Would you like us to let them know? If they say ‘I am a Muslim’ they can then be informed of any specifically Muslim provision such as a prayer room or told that they can use the day rom at particular times . b) My assessment of Michael R. Michael is a 45 year old gentleman whom I have come to know well over several weeks. He originally came into hospital with what he thought was simple chest infection, but was told within a few hours that he required a lung transplant, something he found to be devastating. Since that time his kidney function has deteriorated and he had a near fatal episode a few days ago. Date of interview most recent interview 27th July 2012 . Significant discoveries. Michael has a young child and, because he feels his illness is self-induced he feels a great deal of guilt about his more youthful follies such as street drug use which now prevent him from being with his child . He doesn’t want his daughter to see him in his present state. c) What went well? At first Michael pretended he didn’t want to talk, so I sat and chatted with his neighbor, until he called me over. He then told me of the news he had received from the doctor a few minutes earlier and how he blamed himself. He was so upset that he was incoherent at first, but I waited patiently until he was better able to speak. I mostly just listened and was in no way condemnatory. He told me he had no faith background and doesn’t want one. I just told him that he did want to call upon chaplaincy services this could be arranged. He knows that I am a Christian d) What would you do differently in the future? I would try to ensure more privacy, although this did not seem to inhibit his ‘confession’. e) Were there any barriers or challenges that inhibited your ability to complete the assessment tool? How would I address these in the future or change my assessment to better address these challenges? I have to see to the needs of a lot of different people. I do try to give each one as much time as they seem to need, but Michael has no visitors. He has been in a very long time and often has a roommate who is uncommunicative for some reason. I have been able to introduce him to a volunteer who has more time just to listen or to chat. f) Describe the spiritual experience I had with my patient, family member, or friend using this tool. How does this tool allow me to better meet the needs of my patient in the hospital? I have subsequently talked to Michael on several occasions. He still says he has no faith needs, but welcomes me as a friend . He asked me about my spiritual stance which I was able to explain briefly. When I felt I knew him quite well I asked if he would mind if we prayed for him. His response was very positive. Michael is unlikely to leave the hospital alive, unless to move to a hospice. A transplant is unlikely as other parts of his body are fading rapidly. He now accepts this as fact, and I hope that ultimately he will feel a greater sense of peace about his situation. The assessment tool is an acronym and is therefore easy to remember. It can be adapted to assess different people on various occasions and helps me to ensure that I have asked each necessary question in turn i.e. first assessing the position of the patient spiritually. Secondly finding out if they already have established means of spiritual support, and thirdly trying to ensure that support is made available . References Dameron, C, ( undated) Spiritual Assessment Made Easy with Acronyms , Journal of Community Nursing, Volume 22 , Pages 14 -16. McCullough, M. E., Hoyt, W. T., Larson, D. B., Koenig, H. G., & Thoresen, C. (2000). Religious involvement and mortality: A meta-analytic review. Health Psychology, 19, 211-222. Professional Chaplains ( Undated) Section IV: The Benefits of Spiritual Care Provided by Professional Chaplains, retrieved from web site https://secure.healthcarechaplaincy.org/publications/publications/white_paper_05.22.01/04.html 30th July 2012 Read More