Unmet Spiritual Care Needs in Women Undergoing Core Needle Breast Biopsy

Spiritual care is an important part of healthcare, especially when patients face a possible diagnosis of a life-threatening disease. This study examined the extent to which women undergoing core-needle breast biopsy desired spiritual support and the degree to which women received the support they desired.

Participants (N = 79) were women age 21 and older, who completed an ultrasound- or stereotactic-guided core-needle breast biopsy. Participants completed measures of spiritual needs and spiritual care. Medical and sociodemographic information were also collected. Independent sample t-tests and chi-square tests of examined differences based on demographic, medical, and biopsy-related variables.

Forty-eight participants (48/79; 60.8%) desired some degree of spiritual care during their breast biopsy, and 33 participants (33/78; 42.3%) wanted their healthcare team to address their spiritual needs. African American women were significantly more likely to desire some type of spiritual support compared to women who were not African American. Among the 79 participants, 16 (20.3%) reported a discrepancy between desired and received spiritual support. A significant association between discrepancies and biopsy results was found, χ 2(1) = 4.19, P = .04, such that 2 (7.4%) of 27 participants with results requiring surgery reported discrepancies, while 14 (26.9%) of 52 participants with a benign result reported discrepancies.

Most women undergoing core-needle breast biopsy desired some degree of spiritual care. Although most reported that their spiritual needs were addressed, a subset of women received less care than desired. Our results suggest that healthcare providers should be aware of patients' desires for spiritual support, particularly among those with benign results.