Religious/Spiritual Referrals in Hospice and Palliative Care

Abstract

This study examines the religious/spiritual referral patterns in hospice and palliative care. Religion and death are two highly intersected topics and albeit often discussed together in hospice and palliative care, little is known about how professionals respond to religious/spiritual needs of patients/families/friends and in relation to the chaplaincy team. By means of an in-depth interviewing method, this paper reports on data from 15 hospice and palliative care professionals. Participants were recruited from across five hospice and palliative care organisations, and the data was managed and analysed with the use of NVivo. Largely, participants were keen to refer patients/families/friends to the chaplaincy team, unless the former’s faith or lack thereof did not match the chaplains, in which case referrals to a religious leader in the community were favoured. This shed light to the tendencies to homogenise religious/spiritual beliefs. The paper concludes with some implications for practice and research.

Psychospiritual in palliative care services: a literature review

“…The study findings indicate that it is found that clergy (or in their absence) with patient (or family/friend) beliefs are important in this practice, and this importance in the premise of responding to religious or spiritual needs is adequate. 15 Spiritual Needs for Palliative Patients When the patient goes through a period of palliation or fatal illness, this condition will confront the patient with difficult questions such as "why did this happen to me?" A terminally ill patient may ask this question about his illness, his illness experience, or the meaning of his illness.…”

Palliative Professionals’ Views on the Importance of Religion, Belief, and Spiritual Identities toward the End of Life

“…The instinctual reaction to the fear generated is then often mediated by religion [2]. Religion and spirituality help individuals make sense of what awaits them near the end of life [3] and help the dying cope with their terminal condition [4]. Given the importance of religion and spirituality at the end of life, palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of the patient and their family and friends through a holistic approach by addressing not just the physical, psychological, emotional, and social needs but also the spiritual and religious needs, making it multidimensional in nature [5,6].…”