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Taking a spiritual history in the oral oncology setting
Alan Roger Santos-Silva1, Marco Magalhaes2, Camila Barcellos Calderipe3
1Department of Oral Diagnosis, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Av. Limeira, 901, Bairro Areão, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. alan@unicamp.br.
Background:
Spirituality is recognized as a dimension of health and is increasingly incorporated into supportive cancer care settings. Patients with oral cancer frequently experience profound functional, psychosocial, and existential challenges associated with their diagnosis and treatment, often leading to unmet spiritual needs. Taking a spiritual history provides an approach to identify beliefs, values, and coping resources that influence quality of life and clinical decision-making.
Objective:
To synthesize evidence-based strategies for assessing patients' spirituality within oral oncology practice, emphasizing spiritual history tools, clinical impact, and educational needs.
Methods:
A narrative review was conducted using the SANRA tool as guidelines, focusing on peer-reviewed literature, clinical frameworks, and educational interventions addressing spiritual assessment in patients with serious illness, those relevant to multiprofessional cancer care.
Results:
Instruments such as FICA and HOPE demonstrated positive effects on trust, communication, and adherence to treatment. Despite these benefits, the spirituality assessment remains limited in oral oncology. Educational models have shown measurable improvements in clinician confidence and skill acquisition.
Conclusion:
These tools make it feasible for professionals in oral oncology to take patients' spiritual history, which enhances holistic care, strengthens multidisciplinary alignment, and supports patient-centered outcomes. Implementation requires initiatives and standardized referral to address identified spiritual needs.
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