The spirit of palliative practice: A qualitative inquiry into the spiritual journey of palliative care physicians

Abstract

With spirituality as a pervasive force not only in the lives of palliative care patients, but also in those of healthcare providers, it may prove to be beneficial to use this information to guide future practice in training and education for palliative physicians in both the spiritual care of patients and in practitioner self care.

Doctors discussing religion and spirituality: A systematic literature review

“…25,28,30,36,60,66,69,73,[82][83][84] Further benefits for doctors who discuss R/S with patients are increased ability to provide patient care 11,90 and personal spiritual growth. 75,91 Third, although there is a significant fear of offending patients and of inadvertently proselytizing, rightly so in view of the relationship imbalance between doctor and patient and the ethical risk of coercion, R/S discussion does not have to threaten patient autonomy. Guidelines are available to avoid problems.…”

“…In a sample of palliative care doctors, nearly all participants engaged in self-care activities to nurture their physical, spiritual and emotional selves. 75 …”

Evidence-based spiritual care

“…Four studies focused on chaplains or professionals designated primarily as spiritual care givers [43,44 & , [45][46][47][48]. Two studies reflected the experience of physicians: one focused on residents in family medicine [49], and the other focused on palliative care physicians [50]. Four addressed interdisciplinary care teams: palliative care staff [51,52], medical directors and chaplains [53], multifaceted organizational perspective (nurses, patients, family, chaplains, and hospital administrators) [54].…”

Cuidados paliativos e espiritualidade: revisao integrativa da literatura

“…Two surveys carried out in Canada investigated the physicians' understanding about spirituality (13,19) . According to one study's findings, (13) the term is related to meaning in life, a belief in a superior being, a sense of belonging, and universality.…”

“…According to one study's findings, (13) the term is related to meaning in life, a belief in a superior being, a sense of belonging, and universality. Another study (19) conceived it as the power that on one hand assists patients with no perspective of any therapy that allows healing of their illness and of keeping on living, and, on the other hand, assists health professionals in providing care to patients under palliative care. Both surveys showed the link between personal spirituality and the practice of palliative care.…”