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Key research themes
1. How is spirituality conceptualized and assessed in healthcare settings to effectively address patient needs?
This theme explores the diverse definitions and conceptual frameworks of spirituality within healthcare, the development of instruments and models for assessing spiritual needs, and the implications for clinical practice. Understanding how spirituality is operationalized is crucial for tailoring care that respects patients' existential, cultural, and spiritual dimensions, thus supporting holistic health outcomes.
Key finding: Developed a multidimensional, 29-item survey embedding seven major constructs (belonging, meaning, hope, the sacred, morality, beauty, acceptance of dying) inclusive of both traditional religion and non-institutional... Read more
Key finding: Analyzed prominent conceptualizations of spirituality, emphasizing the need for clinical definitions to align closely with the lived, individualized experiences across diverse cultural and religious contexts in healthcare.... Read more
Key finding: Critiqued efforts to rigidly define spirituality in nursing, asserting that its vagueness and multiplicity of meanings constitute strengths, enabling spirituality to identify gaps in healthcare provision and challenge secular... Read more
Key finding: Investigated nurses’ understanding and perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care, finding that while spiritual care is recognized as central to holistic nursing, many nurses lack clear definitions and adequate training,... Read more
Key finding: Provided a comprehensive review clarifying the overlap and distinctions between religiosity and spirituality in clinical settings. Highlighted spirituality’s experiential aspects—meaning, transcendence, connectedness—and... Read more
2. What are healthcare professionals’ practices, barriers, and facilitators in integrating spirituality into patient care across diverse health contexts?
This theme investigates how health professionals perceive, incorporate, and manage spirituality within clinical interactions, including normative practices, preferred communication approaches, and systemic or individual barriers and facilitators. Understanding these factors is essential to enhance patient-centered spiritual care and to develop effective training and institutional policies.
Key finding: Found that Australian health professionals most commonly address spirituality through one or two questions within comprehensive assessments. Key facilitators include holistic care approaches and prior spiritual training,... Read more
Key finding: Identified high patient acceptance (94.0–99.8%) for diverse spiritual history-taking prompts in Australian inpatient settings. Interviews revealed that the appropriateness of spiritual discussions is context-dependent. Study... Read more
Key finding: Demonstrated that pastoral care staff (32.9%) and doctors (22.4%) are the preferred healthcare workers for spiritual conversations, with patient preference influenced more by individual characteristics and relational... Read more
Key finding: Surveyed 555 nurses in Iran revealing moderate perceived competence in spiritual care provision, linked to personal spirituality and education. Highlighted that despite recognizing spirituality’s importance in patient... Read more
Key finding: Reviewed the role of spirituality in primary care emphasizing its inclusion in cultural competency frameworks and health promotion models. Suggested feasible strategies for primary care providers to ethically and effectively... Read more
3. What is the role and impact of spirituality in specialized healthcare contexts such as palliative care, chronic illness, and critical care?
Focusing on spirituality’s distinct functions in high-acuity or chronic health conditions, this theme addresses how spiritual care is uniquely integrated, its effects on patient quality of life and coping, and the perspectives of patients, families, and specialist care providers. Insights here inform tailored spiritual interventions and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Key finding: Provided a specialist spiritual care perspective emphasizing religious/spiritual adjustments in patients and families coping with terminal illness. Highlighted the process of sense-making related to ultimate meaning,... Read more
Key finding: Synthesized evidence showing that higher spiritual well-being in advanced COPD patients correlates with better quality of life, lower symptom burden, and improved mental health. Found patients predominantly use positive... Read more
Key finding: Assessed ICU patients and family members revealing that 85% considered spirituality important during crisis, but EMR documentation of spiritual assessments remains inconsistent and inadequate to meet quality metrics.... Read more
Key finding: Demonstrated that spiritual disciplines (prayer, scripture study, music) are vital resources enhancing health outcomes and quality of life in the elderly. Emphasized spirituality’s role in coping with health challenges and... Read more