| HOME | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
a The Bioethics Institute of New York Medical College and The John J. Conley Department of Ethics, Saint Vincent's Manhattan, New York, NY
Correspondence: Daniel P. Sulmasy, OFM, MD, PhD, OFM, MD, PhD, The John J. Conley Department of Ethics, St. Vincent's Manhattan, 153 W. 11th Street, New York, NY 10011. E-mail: daniel_sulmasy{at}nymc.edu.
Purpose: This article presents a model for research and practice that expands on the biopsychosocial model to include the spiritual concerns of patients. Design and Methods: Literature review and philosophical inquiry were used. Results: The healing professions should serve the needs of patients as whole persons. Persons can be considered beings-in-relationship, and illness can be considered a disruption in biological relationships that in turn affects all the other relational aspects of a person. Spirituality concerns a person's relationship with transcendence. Therefore, genuinely holistic health care must address the totality of the patient's relational existence—physical, psychological, social, and spiritual. The literature suggests that many patients would like health professionals to attend to their spiritual needs, but health professionals must be morally cautious and eschew proselytizing in any form. Four general domains for measuring various aspects of spirituality are distinguished: religiosity, religious coping and support, spiritual well-being, and spiritual need. A framework for understanding the interactions between these domains is presented. Available instruments are reviewed and critiqued. An agenda for research in the spiritual aspects of illness and care at the end of life is proposed. Implications: Spiritual concerns are important to many patients, particularly at the end of life. Much work remains to be done in understanding the spiritual aspects of patient care and how to address spirituality in research and practice.
Key Words: Religion • Spirituality • Quality of life • Questionnaires • Health surveys
This article has been cited by other articles:
 |
|
 |
|
  D. P. Sulmasy Spiritual issues in the care of dying patients: ". . . it's okay between me and god". JAMA, September 20, 2006; 296(11): 1385 - 1392. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K. E. Steinhauser, C. I. Voils, E. C. Clipp, H. B. Bosworth, N. A. Christakis, and J. A. Tulsky "Are You at Peace?": One Item to Probe Spiritual Concerns at the End of Life Arch Intern Med, January 9, 2006; 166(1): 101 - 105. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 R. Newcomer, T. Kang, M. LaPlante, and S. Kaye Living Quarters and Unmet Need for Personal Care Assistance Among Adults With Disabilities J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., July 1, 2005; 60(4): S205 - S213. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. Beider An Ethical Argument for Integrated Palliative Care Evid. Based Complement. Altern. Med., June 1, 2005; 2(2): 227 - 231. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. B. Astrow and D. P. Sulmasy Spirituality and the Patient-Physician Relationship JAMA, June 16, 2004; 291(23): 2884 - 2884. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 V. Mor and T. T. Perls Robine and Michel's "Looking Forward to a General Theory on Population Aging": Measuring Functional Decline in Population Aging in a Changing World and an Evolving Biology J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., June 1, 2004; 59(6): M609 - M611. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. R. Kane, M. B. Hellsten, and Rev. A. Coldsmith Human Suffering: The Need for Relationship-Based Research in Pediatric End-of-Life Care Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, May 1, 2004; 21(3): 180 - 185. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|---|
