It is imperative that healthcare providers assess spiritual beliefs to provide the best care possible to patients. Research has shown there is a correlation between a patient's spirituality with their health and their ability to cope with illness. "Analysis of data from 42 published mortality studies involving approximately 126,000 participants revealed that individuals reporting frequent religious involvements were significantly more likely to live longer in comparison to persons who were infrequently religiously involved" (Robinson, D. 2012. P 127). According to the Joint Commission, medical organizations must include a spiritual assessment in order to maintain accreditation. Although the Joint Commission does not specify what needs to be included in the spiritual assessment (The Joint Commission, 2008). I believe the Joint Commission has required this from organizations because they have realized that hospitalized patients are at an increased risk of suffering from spiritual distress. The Joint Commission has realized that patients expect and appreciate having their spiritual needs met. For the purposes of this paper, this author will create a spiritual assessment based off the Joint Commission suggestions and elements (The Joint Commission, 2008). This author will provide a transcript of the interview using the created spiritual assessment tool and an analysis of the interview experience.
Spiritual Assessment Tool Created.
This author chose a family friend, F.B., who had recently been admitted to the hospital for chest pain. Below, F.B. answers to the spiritual assessment questions which are provided following each question.
1. Do you have any particular spiritual or religious belief system that you follow which may be useful for me to incorporate into your plan of care? .
F. B.: "Yes I am a practicing Catholic, I go to church every Sunday" (F. B, personal communication, February 10, 2015).
