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Spirituality in Patients
The meaning of spirituality varies a lot depending on an individual and the faith he/she posses (Barna, 2003). To some people, it may be used to refer to the faith they posses while in others, it may be used to give life meaning and purposes. Whatever the reason, spirituality is important in the life of any individual whether they have faith or not. The effect of spirituality is mainly felt when one is not of good health. The pain and suffering which one goes through during this time may affect the mental stability (Swinton, 2001). These are the times when one starts to question his/her faith, wonder why this is happening to them and tries to find out what might have let to its occurrence. Facing and addressing spiritual needs during such times is essential as it will assist in the understanding and acceptance of the issue; hence recovery can even be quicker (Netrofcare, 2011). It is therefore necessary as a care giver to assess the spirituality of patients whom you are taking care of (Hall, 2000).
Assessing spirituality of Patients
To assess the spirituality of patients, I developed 5 questions to help me in identifying the problem and formulate solutions. The questions were:
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Does the patient have faith in God?
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Is the patient trying to identify the cause of the problems/suffering he/she is going through?
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Is the patient optimistic or pessimistic about his condition and faith
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Does the patient or engage in any spiritual nurturing?
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Does he/she have any hope or faith that you will recover?
To get this information from my patient, I used the method of observation. I also interacted with him so that he became comfortable with me. This ensured that I would get the correct information for the assessment.
I was able to note that the patient had faith in God. The patient believed he was suffering due to the bad things that he had done in the course of his life; the sickness he was suffering from was a punishment to pay for the sins that he had committed. He had understood and accepted his condition. This made him to have the faith that he will recover from the disease and start a new life once he is fit. In the course of treatment, the patient used to pray and read the bible. He wanted to know more about the word of God.
From this assessment I was able to know that everyone had a spiritual side. It is therefore important to get in touch with your inner self, accept the condition and work towards recovery (Wagner, 2010). During the assessment, I had a great time with my subject. We related well to each other and bonded especially during prayers. The only challenge that I faced was the difference in religion as he was a protestant and I was a catholic. To ensure that the programme is successful in future, I will not try to know the religion of my subject nor will I tell them mine. While I was with the patient, I learnt the importance of spirituality, faith and belief in patient. Through the relationship that we had and the success that came afterwards and the guidance that I offered, I was able to uplift the faith and hopes of the patient which increased the rate at which he recovered.
References
Barna, G. (2003). Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions: Why Children Should Be Your Churchs #1 Priority. Atlanta: Gospel Light
Hall, J. (2000). Midwifery, mind and spirit: emerging issues of care. Elsevier: Elsevier Health Sciences
Netrofcare. (2011). Spiritual Needs. Netofcare. Web.
Swinton, J. (2001). Spirituality and mental health care: rediscovering a forgotten dimension. Wales: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Wagner, F.L. (2010). Most Evil Is Done by Good People Who Do Not Know That They Are Not Good. Boston. Xulon Press
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