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Facilitating Spiritual Care for Patients

Religious care is an indispensable element of care provided to patients by healthcare providers to enhance patients’ treatment. Spiritual care is fundamental to a patients’ health and nurses’ integrity. Healthcare providers are expected to deliver care in a holistic approach that aligns with the patient’s religious needs (O’Brien, Kinloch, Groves & Jack, 2019). This paper aims to discuss my weaknesses and strength when it comes to providing spiritual care for patients with a different worldview from my own. The article also offers suggestions as a patient, on who has an ultimate say in ethical decision-making and arbitration in a problematic situation such as end-of-life care.

Different studies indicate that healthcare providers fail to address the patients’ spiritual needs while in their care due to various challenges. The main weakness I have as a nurse in facilitating spiritual care (for patients with worldviews different from your own) is failing to classify spirituality due to the existence of different religious backgrounds. Currently, there are no guidelines for the nurse’s obligation to providing spiritual care (O’Brien et al., 2019). Another weakness I have is failing to take ethical responsibility due to lack of time, a deficiency of knowledge, and less training on spirituality.

Spiritual needs are described as needs whose satisfaction causes an individual’s spiritual growth and makes them hopeful and social. By providing spiritual care, I have developed vital communication skills essential in enhancing patient care (Austin, Macleod, Siddall, McSherry& Egan, 2017). Facilitating spiritual care enables me to be more hopeful as well as strengthen my faith and understanding of different religious norms.

If I were the patient, I would have the final say in ethical decision-making and intervention in the treatment and end-of-life care. Patients can have the final say by utilizing advance directives for therapy and end-of-life care. An advanced care plan incorporates a proxy’s designation with the durable power of attorney, a subsistence will or medical directive developed with a physician. Advance directives will assist the patient and their family in ensuring that the patient’s spiritual needs are respected and care measures conducted according to patient’s wish. The patients would thus have the final say in the event of a difficult situation.