Most people don’t associate modern medicine with spirituality, but as a medical practitioner, it’s important to understand how the two go hand in hand. Many patients, in fact, the majority of patients, will have some form of spiritual or religious belief system. As a medical professional, spirituality can be a difficult subject to broach with patients, but you should be ready if the topic comes up.
Spirituality and religious belief systems can impact medical encounters with you as many patients may want to discuss spiritual concerns. A person’s health and well-being often intertwine with their spiritual beliefs, and therefore taking an objective approach to these topics is key to establishing trust.
Why is it relevant to know your patient’s spiritual beliefs?
Understanding your patient’s spiritual and religious beliefs is very important as it may impact treatment and care options. Often, patients will initiate conversations around spirituality, as they know you are someone they can trust. If they are struggling with a long-term or chronic illness, they may voice concerns about what lies ahead for them regarding their spiritual or religious future. It’s your job, regardless of personal beliefs, to support your patients in an empathetic way.
It’s also essential to understand your patients’ spiritual beliefs and if they are not open to specific treatment options as a result. You deed to determine that medical supplies UK services offer are supplies that your patients are comfortable with you using. There may be prescriptions they won’t take, or injections they are opposed to. Everyone’s beliefs are different, and by understanding where they stand, you can avoid breaking trust with your patients or pressuring them into something they aren’t comfortable with.
Spiritual Assessment Tools
Regardless of your stance on religion or spirituality, you can still be understanding and empathic to your patient’s religious preferences. By utilizing these tools, you can approach the topic methodically, and in a structure that is non-biased and non-critical. You don’t need to ask hard questions or impart religion to your patients. These tools allow you to incorporate queries into a more general holistic context, such as with questions of occupation, family systems, education, economic issues, etc.
HOPE.
The first tool is HOPE You can follow this formal structure when conducting a spiritual assessment. Here is how the acronym breaks down:
– H is for sources of hope, comfort, meaning, peace, strength, connection, and love. Start by asking about these subjects to open the flow of conversation on the topic.
– O is for the role of organized religion in the patient’s life.
– P is for personal spiritual practices.
– E is for religion and spiritualities effect on medical care and end-of-life preparation
FICA.
Another tool you can use is F.I.C.A., and is similar to the first tool in some ways. This is a set of guidelines for how to approach the conversation around spirituality and in what order.
– F is for faith and beliefs. You can ask them if they consider themselves spiritual and what type of beliefs they have.
– I is for importance and influence. How important are their beliefs to their life, and how does it influence their decisions (especially when it comes to medical decisions)?
– C is for community. Does the patient belong to a spiritual or religious community?
– A is for address. Discuss how you, as their physician, can support them in regard to their spirituality.
Also Read: Journaling as a Form of Meditation: How to Start Doing It
