Spiritual care is stagnating in general practice: the need to move towards an embedded model.

Abstract

In the past two decades, research into GPs’ provision of spiritual care has made little progress, and the clinical application of such care has remained limited. GPs’ interest in spirituality is generally seen as beneficial, both in terms of doctor–patient communication and of patients’ wellbeing. However, the literature has failed to address key issues for GPs’ daily practice. Primary health care (PHC) journals have published numerous articles about spirituality and spiritual care since the early 2000s. Illustrating this literature, Anandarajah and Hight present a review and a concrete tool (HOPE questions) for integrating spirituality into medical practice.1 In turn, Vermandere et al offer a systematic review of qualitative evidence.2 They discuss GPs’ perception of their role as spiritual care providers and the factors that facilitate or constrain their practice.2 By contrast, Hamilton et al discuss the evidence and ethical issues around the integration of spiritual care into general practice.3 These three review articles address similar themes and share the same definition of spirituality.4 They regard GPs’ provision of spiritual care as beneficial in terms of health and whole-person care, a common view in the PHC literature on spirituality. They also identify a set of qualities that may help GPs to address their patients’ spiritual needs — including communication skills, awareness of one’s own spirituality, and a respectful, confidential, and patient-centred approach. However, the articles highlight some limitations to the provision of spiritual care in general practice. Although several studies have …