Objective: To investigate the definitions of spirituality in the healthcare field, identifying its main dimensions and proposing a framework that operationalizes the understanding of this concept.Methods: This is a systematic review following the PRISMA guideline (PROSPERO: CRD42021262091), searching for spirituality definitions published in scientific journals. Searches were carried out in PubMed (all articles listed up to October 2020) and in the reference lists of the articles found in the database, followed by selection under specific eligibility criteria.Results: From a total of 493 articles, 166 were included in the final analysis, showing that there is a large body of scientific literature proposing and analyzing spirituality definitions. In these articles, 24 spirituality dimensions were found, most commonly related to the connectedness and meaning of life. Spirituality was presented as a human and individual aspect. These findings led us to construct a framework that represents spirituality as a quantifiable construct.Conclusions: Understanding spirituality is an important aspect for healthcare research and clinical practice. This proposed framework may help to better understand the complexity of this topic, where advances are desirable, given the relevance it has acquired for integral health care.

presente trabalho descreve o desenvolvimento e relato de experiências do Programa de Saúde Espiritualidade e Religiosidade – ProSER. O ProSER foi implantado em 2008, com a finalidade de promover uma atenção mais ampla às necessidades espirituais e religiosas no contexto de saúde, bem como produzir e difundir conhecimento na interface saúde, espiritualidade e religiosidade para centros acadêmicos e instituições de saúde. Esse estudo tem como objetivo descrever a trajetória e atuação do ProSER nas áreas de ensino, pesquisa e assistência. A atuação do ProSER tem promovido mudanças nos cuidados em saúde, por meio de suas modalidades de assistência, além da disseminação de conhecimento para outros profissionais de saúde e centros acadêmicos, através de trabalhos científicos e cursos.

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