Should GPs provide spiritual care?

Abstract

The World Health Organization in 1948 defined health as a complete sense of physical, mental, and social wellbeing. In 1998 the definition was revised to include the importance of spiritual wellbeing and the connection between mind and body in the healing process. The word spirit comes from the Latin ‘spiritus’ meaning breath, and spirituality has been described as a search for existential meaning regarding a power other than the self that is not necessarily called ‘God’. This search for meaning includes a need for identity and relatedness, and is sometimes expressed as a need to feel loved or accepted and of having a sense of self-worth. Spirituality is about acceptance, integration, and wholeness, and is the essence of what it means to be human. Spiritual care can be defined as care that recognises and responds to the needs of the human spirit when faced with trauma, ill health, or sadness. It includes the need for meaning and self-worth, to express oneself, for faith support or simply for a sensitive listener. It is usually given in a one-to-one relationship, is person centred, and makes no assumptions about personal conviction or life orientation. Rumbold in a review of spiritual needs assessment suggested that it should include: respect for the patients’ perspectives and privacy, involvement of all members of the interdisciplinary team, clear documentation of needs and strategic responses to these needs, integration of strategies into an overall …