Spiritual Care

The qualitative experience of sickness and death matters. Modern medicine has made important strides in addressing physical-and to some extent psychological-suffering at the end of life, but biomedical models are not properly equipped to respond to spiritual distress. Medical professionals and spiritual care professionals have an obligation, grounded in the bioethical principle of beneficence, to address all forms of suffering and to advocate for better dying. At the same time, they must approach care from a patient-centered standpoint that avoids spiritual or medical paternalism. The bond that clinicians and patients form through discussing and addressing spiritual distress allows patients to develop a clearer perspective of how their values can be best honored by the medical care team. Ultimately, modern individuals, caught between the dizzying array of possible life choices and the inevitability of mortality, experience immense spiritual need. The drive to care for these needs among dying individuals is a worthwhile pursuit, and traditional ideas of spirituality must expand to meet the needs of the modern individual.