Nurturing the Spirit: The Need for Virtuous Spiritual Care
Dallas Ducar, BA (Cognitive Science, Philosophy), A Master of Science in Nursing, Research Associate, The University of Virginia
Many patients living in the United States have increasingly defined themselves as spiritual. Up to 33 percent of the United States population identifies themselves as “spiritual but not religious.”[1] These numbers represent up to 103 million individual lives. Furthermore, since 1980 spirituality has been defined to be a concept distinct from religion. While some do argue that the two are the same, others choose to make the distinction in their own personal lives. This population may not necessarily define themselves as religious when a critical moment occurs, and yet still feel the need for spiritual dialogue and reflection. End of life experience represents a small portion of these critical moments which occur to at least 715,000 humans each year. [2] Other experiences may include overdoses, psychiatric crises, surgical procedures, cardiac emergencies, seizures, and more. With a substantial portion of the United States population identifying as spiritual but not religious, and a large population experiencing these critical moments, it is conceivable that many do not receive the spiritual care that they desire. This population is a vulnerable minority group that is receiving unequal care, when compared to those who identify as religious.
Spiritual care, when conducted virtuously, fills a much-needed gap in the patients’ spiritual needs. However, detection of these needs is not adequate. Many healthcare organizations (HCOs) do not respect these needs as they do not provide adequate resources for spiritual assessment. Moreover, many HCOs incorrectly conflate religious identity with spiritual identity, thereby not recognizing the wholeness of the person. This lack of sufficient spiritual care is a social justice issue as vulnerable minority populations are not receiving the appropriate spiritual care resources. The HCO has a moral obligation to promote and provide more holistic spiritual care. Spiritual care can be sufficiently provided via two main approaches; by actively teaching caregivers to assess for spiritual distress and inculcating virtues amongst caregivers to guide action. Virtuous members of the institution must work towards spiritual care which is administered prudently, temperately, courageously, and justly. The institution therefore, is primarily responsible for providing the resources to make this change, however it is up to the individuals to ensure change is acted on ethically.
[1] "Americans' Spiritual Searches Turn Inward". Gallup.com. (Accessed May 1, 2014).
[2] Hall MJ, Levant S, DeFrances CJ. Trends in Inpatient Hospital Deaths: National Hospital Discharge Survey, 2000–2010. NCHS data brief, no 118. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2013.
Many patients living in the United States have increasingly defined themselves as spiritual. Up to 33 percent of the United States population identifies themselves as “spiritual but not religious.”[1] These numbers represent up to 103 million individual lives. Furthermore, since 1980 spirituality has been defined to be a concept distinct from religion. While some do argue that the two are the same, others choose to make the distinction in their own personal lives. This population may not necessarily define themselves as religious when a critical moment occurs, and yet still feel the need for spiritual dialogue and reflection. End of life experience represents a small portion of these critical moments which occur to at least 715,000 humans each year. [2] Other experiences may include overdoses, psychiatric crises, surgical procedures, cardiac emergencies, seizures, and more. With a substantial portion of the United States population identifying as spiritual but not religious, and a large population experiencing these critical moments, it is conceivable that many do not receive the spiritual care that they desire. This population is a vulnerable minority group that is receiving unequal care, when compared to those who identify as religious.
Spiritual care, when conducted virtuously, fills a much-needed gap in the patients’ spiritual needs. However, detection of these needs is not adequate. Many healthcare organizations (HCOs) do not respect these needs as they do not provide adequate resources for spiritual assessment. Moreover, many HCOs incorrectly conflate religious identity with spiritual identity, thereby not recognizing the wholeness of the person. This lack of sufficient spiritual care is a social justice issue as vulnerable minority populations are not receiving the appropriate spiritual care resources. The HCO has a moral obligation to promote and provide more holistic spiritual care. Spiritual care can be sufficiently provided via two main approaches; by actively teaching caregivers to assess for spiritual distress and inculcating virtues amongst caregivers to guide action. Virtuous members of the institution must work towards spiritual care which is administered prudently, temperately, courageously, and justly. The institution therefore, is primarily responsible for providing the resources to make this change, however it is up to the individuals to ensure change is acted on ethically.
[1] "Americans' Spiritual Searches Turn Inward". Gallup.com. (Accessed May 1, 2014).
[2] Hall MJ, Levant S, DeFrances CJ. Trends in Inpatient Hospital Deaths: National Hospital Discharge Survey, 2000–2010. NCHS data brief, no 118. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2013.