Development of brief pictorial instruments for assessing spirituality in primary care

The relationship between spirituality and health is an emerging area of study. However, spirituality assessment instruments with clinical utility for busy health care practices are lacking. The article describes research directed at developing and validating brief pictorial measures of spirituality as instruments to measure the relationship between reported spirituality and health. The instruments presented are patterned after the Dartmouth Medical School Primary Care Cooperative (COOP) charts. The charts also provide a nonthreatening way to enhance communication between patients and physicians in this important area.