Spiritual Assessment of Neurologic Patients: A Practical Approach

Wellness is a core component of health care and integral to holistic whole-person care, which includes not only the medical and psychological domains but also attention to patients' spirituality. Spirituality plays a key role in meaning-making and coping, particularly for individuals living with neurologic disease (PwND) who often live with profound uncertainty.

While spirituality can support PwND through disability, life transitions, and terminal diagnoses, it is often only addressed during crises and deferred to chaplains or palliative care teams unfamiliar with the patient. Research has shown that patients often welcome being asked about their spirituality while clinicians are frequently reluctant to do so.

Given its association with improved patient outcomes and satisfaction, spiritual screening is a vital skill for neurologists to hone as part of comprehensive, person-centered care, although these skills are rarely included in neurology training.