Elsevier

Critical Care Clinics

Volume 20, Issue 3, July 2004, Pages 487-504
Critical Care Clinics

Spirituality in health: the role of spirituality in critical care

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccc.2004.03.007Get rights and content

Section snippets

Suffering

What is suffering? Cassel writes of understanding suffering as a threat to our personhood. We suffer until the threat to our personhood is removed or until we can accept it and deal with it [11]. This suffering may occur for patients, the loved ones, or the health care professionals who care for the patient. In a purely biomedical model, the goal of physicians in communication emphasizes the gathering of objective data rather than compassionate, empathic listening to learn about the disease in

Healing versus care

Health care professionals, patients, and loved ones often equate healing with cure. So if someone is dying or has an incurable condition, it appears that there may be no hope. But healing is not synonymous with recovery. Healing may occur at any time, independent of recovery from illness. Thus, even in the midst of an incurable illness or a devastating tragedy, particularly in cases encountered in critical care, there may be an opportunity for healing. A person may look to medical care to

Ethical issues

There are several ethical issues that impact how patients understand illness and how they cope with it (Box 1) spiritual issues can impact clinical care in a variety of ways [16], [17], [18]

Spiritual coping

How does spirituality work to help people cope with their dying (Box 2)?

One mechanism might be through hope. Spirituality and religion offer people hope in the midst of the despair that often occurs in the course of serious illness and dying. Hope can change during the course of an illness. Early on, the person may hope for a cure; later, when a cure becomes unlikely, the person may hope for time to finish important projects or goals, travel, make peace with loved ones or with God, and have a

Spiritual care

Spiritual care, at its essence, is relational (Box 3).

This is highlighted in a definition of spirituality that is used in the medical school curricula on spirituality and health. That definition states that:

Spirituality is recognized as a factor that contributes to health in many persons. The concept of spirituality is found in all cultures and societies. It is expressed in an individual's search for ultimate meaning through participation in, among other things, religion or belief in God,

Spiritual history

Obtaining a spiritual history is one way to listen to what is deeply important to the patient or the patient's family [70], [71]. When one gets involved in a discussion with a patient or family about their spirituality, one enters the domain of what gives the person meaning and purpose in life and how that person copes with stress, with illness, and with dying. It is important to define spirituality broadly, as stated above. For some families or patients, spiritual beliefs may be religious ones

Spiritual care

FICA can also be used as a self-assessment tool for health care professionals. We all experience stress in our professional lives, particularly those who work in settings such as intensive care units (ICUs). What are our resources of strength? How do we maintain hope? How do we cope with suffering and stress? Our spiritual beliefs, however they are defined, may also be helpful to us in our professional lives.

Prosetylization is not allowed in the professional setting. Health care professionals

Summary

Caring for critically ill patients requires that physicians and other health care professionals recognize the potential importance of spirituality in the lives of patients, families, and loved ones and in their own lives. Patients and loved ones undergo tremendous stress and suffering in facing critical illness. Professional caregivers also face similar stress and sadness. Spirituality offers people a way to understand suffering and illness. Spiritual beliefs can also impact how people cope

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