Assessing a patient's spiritual needs: a comprehensive instrument

Area of Science:

• Healthcare
• Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• Patient spiritual needs are increasingly recognized as crucial for holistic well-being.
• Existing assessments may not fully capture the breadth of spiritual experiences.
• A comprehensive understanding is needed to guide healthcare professionals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and describe a multidimensional instrument for assessing patient spiritual needs.
• To operationalize seven key constructs of spiritual needs identified in the literature.
• To provide a tool for healthcare professionals to address spiritual well-being.

Main Methods:

• Literature analysis to identify major constructs of patient spiritual needs.
• Development of a 29-item survey instrument based on these constructs.
• Ensuring the survey is inclusive of religious and non-religious spirituality.

Main Results:

• Seven major constructs of patient spiritual needs were identified: belonging, meaning, hope, the sacred, morality, beauty, and acceptance of dying.
• A multidimensional survey instrument was developed incorporating these constructs.
• The instrument is designed to be inclusive of diverse spiritual expressions.

Conclusions:

• The developed instrument provides a framework for assessing patient spiritual needs.
• This contributes to a more holistic approach in healthcare.
• It offers direction for healthcare professionals to better support patient well-being.