Resources for Health Care Providers

Integrating spirituality and religion into the health care system is a topic of increasing interest among many health care providers, spiritual care providers, academics, educators, and the general public. There is a growing volume of research that shows the impact of integrating patients' spirituality and religious beliefs and practices in health care environments. However, many questions abound about why and how spirituality and religion should be integrated into the health care system.

Here are some general and profession-specific questions and explanations that help to clarify issues in this emerging field.

General Questions

• Why should health care providers incorporate spirituality into their care of patients?

• What is spirituality?

• What is spiritual care?

• What does spirituality look and sound like?

• How can I talk with a patient about spiritual distress when I am not religious?

• How do health care practitioners incorporate spiritual care into health care?

Administrators

• Why is addressing spirituality in health care important?

Nurses

• How can nurses approach spirituality in their profession?

Physicians

• How can physicians approach spirituality in their profession?

Psychologists and Counselors

• How does religion and/or spirituality contribute to alleviating stress?

• How can religious faith be used in treating mental health?

Occupational and Physical Therapists

• What research is being done to address spirituality in rehabilitation?

Social workers

• What research is being done to address spirituality in social work?