“All my saints are within me”: Expressions of end-of-life spirituality

Dobratz, Marjorie C.

doi:10.1017/s1478951512000235

Cited by 21 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Patients' views on spirituality were found to be connected with family as well as related to their religious beliefs. These connections provided participants various benefits, such as meaning and purpose in life, compassion toward others and a positive spiritual influence [73][74][75]. Of the topics that assessed spirituality descriptions, 'Family' and 'God/religion' were the most commonly mentioned topic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of spirituality on decision-making in palliative care outpatients: a cross-sectional study

et al. 2020

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Background: Decision-making in palliative care can be complex due to the uncertain prognosis and general fear surrounding decisions. Decision-making in palliative care may be influenced by spiritual and cultural beliefs or values. Determinants of the decision-making process are not completely understood, and spirituality is essential for coping with illness. Thus, this study aims to explore the influence of spirituality on the perception of healthcare decision-making in palliative care outpatients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was developed. A battery of tests was administered to 95 palliative outpatients, namely: sociodemographic questionnaire (SQ), Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being scale (FACIT-Sp), and a semi-structured interview (SSI) to study one's perception of spirituality and autonomy in decision-making. Statistical analyses involved descriptive statistics for SQ and SSI. The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare scale scores between groups and correlations were used for all scales and subscales. The analysis of patients' definitions of spirituality was based on the interpretative phenomenological process. Results: Spiritual wellbeing significantly correlated with greater levels of physical, emotional and functional wellbeing and a better quality of life. Greater spiritual wellbeing was associated with less decisional conflict, decreased uncertainty, a feeling of being more informed and supported and greater satisfaction with one's decision. Most patients successfully implemented their decision and identified themselves as capable of early decision-making. Patients who were able to implement their decision presented lower decisional conflict and higher levels of spiritual wellbeing and quality of life. Within the 16 themes identified, spirituality was mostly described through family. Patients who had received spiritual care displayed better scores of spiritual wellbeing, quality of life and exhibited less decisional conflict. Patients considered spirituality during illness important and believed that the need to receive spiritual support and specialised care could enable decision-making when taking into consideration ones' values and beliefs. Conclusion: The impact of spiritual wellbeing on decision-making is evident. Spirituality is a key component of overall wellbeing and it assumes multidimensional and unique functions. Individualised care that promotes engagement in decision-making and considers patients' spiritual needs is essential for promoting patient empowerment, autonomy and dignity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of spirituality on decision-making in palliative care outpatients: a cross-sectional study

et al. 2020

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“…The importance of spiritual care in healthcare in assisting patients to understand the turmoil resulting from serious illness, by helping them consider the meaning and purpose of their lives, is well supported (Ming-Shium, 2006;Dobratz 2013). To neglect the spiritual needs of patients, and their families, is both ethically and legally wrong (Fiifi-Amoah, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spirituality and/or religious faith: A means for coping with the effects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease?

O’Brien

Clark

2015

Pall Supp Care

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The notion of spirituality/religious belief is recognised internationally as a domain within end of life care and is important in patients' and carers' quality-of-life. When faced with incurable illness patients often become more philosophical about their life; many seek comfort in spiritual or religious philosophies. Our intention was to understand how personal spirituality and religious faith might help those living with ALS/MND to cope with their impending death. MethodsUnsolicited narratives (Internet and print-published) written by individuals diagnosed with the terminal condition ALS/MND were analysed thematically. Narratives from 161 individuals diagnosed with ALS/MND written over a period of 37 years from 1968-2005 were included. ResultsThe findings reveal that religious faith sustains and helps people to avoid despair; personal spirituality helps them make sense of what is happening to them. Significance of resultsThe use of personal narratives by people with ALS/MND has provided the vehicle for sharing their deepest spiritual and religious thoughts with others. The place of spirituality and religious faith within ALS/MND care should not be under estimated. Assessment of religious or spiritual needs should become a routine part of practice and is the responsibility of all members of the multidisciplinary team. KeywordsSpirituality, religious faith, motor neuron disease/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, written narratives, coping INTRODUCTION:Motor neuron disease (MND), also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a terminal neurodegenerative condition, often following a rapidly-progressive course leading to death 3-5 years from onset (Wood-Allum & Shaw, 2010). Management focuses on relieving distressing symptoms, but clear limitations exist as psychosocial effects frequently compound physical symptoms. When faced with a terminal illness, like ALS/MND, there is an inclination to question the meaning of life and death (Young & McNicoll, 1998;Oliver 2002;Grant et al., 2004); thoughts turn towards spirituality and faith for comfort and consolation (Oliver 2002); the importance of religion and spirituality in improving quality of life and decision making as death approaches is acknowledged (Delgado-Guay 2014).Spirituality is a domain of supportive and palliative care in national policies such as the UK End-of-Life Care Programme (DH 2008), quality-of-life (QOL) measures (WHO 1998), and ALS/MND-specific care recommendations (Mitsumoto et al., 2005). As a concept, spirituality does raise some issues for researchers and commentators. Some identify a 'spiritual turn' in palliative care where perceptions of patients' needs have come to focus on privatised and selfdefined meaning structures. Within clinical care this has involved a re-orientation away from explicitly religious engagement with patients and families towards acknowledgement of the wider spiritual concerns of users of palliative care services. In practice it can be difficult to categorise as 'religious' or 'spiritual' patients' concerns relating ...

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“…Concerning patients' views on spirituality, it was observed that most participants found spirituality through their religious practice and connection to a higher power, as well as through connection with friends, family and acquaintances [21,33,38]. These connections provided participants with various benefits, including meaning and purpose in life, compassion toward others and a positive spiritual influence on those who survived lifethreatening illnesses [21,33,38]. Other patients also experienced spirituality within the structure and process of work or volunteer service, through communication, mediation and activities [21,33,38].…”

Section: Review Francisca Regomentioning

confidence: 99%

The Psychological and Spiritual Dimensions of Palliative Care: A Descriptive Systematic Review

Rêgo¹,

Pereira²,

Rêgo³

et al. 2018

Neuropsychiatry

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Objective: To study the relationship between the psychological and spiritual dimensions in adult palliative care. Methods: The data sources used were Medline, Web of Knowledge and Scopus, using the following key concepts: "palliative care" and "psychology" and "spirituality". The search took place 5th December 2017, at 10:20 am, and no articles were excluded based on publication date. Out of a total of 1038 articles found, 65 met the pre-selected criteria and were included in the descriptive qualitative synthesis. Results: Some lack of definitional consensus of spirituality is still evident. Nevertheless, spiritual wellbeing was considered an important component of quality of life, closely related to physical and psychological distress symptoms, therefore highlighting the importance of psychological and psychiatric care in enhancing the wellbeing of palliative care patients. Conclusion: Understanding the interface of the psychological and spiritual dimensions of adult palliative care patients may contribute to a more efficient therapeutic practice. Therefore, training healthcare professionals to improve spiritual support and appropriately addressing these issues should be of great importance in palliative care settings, thus promoting an appropriate response to the patients' needs and dying process.

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“All my saints are within me”: Expressions of end-of-life spirituality

Cited by 21 publications

References 34 publications

The influence of spirituality on decision-making in palliative care outpatients: a cross-sectional study

The influence of spirituality on decision-making in palliative care outpatients: a cross-sectional study

Spirituality and/or religious faith: A means for coping with the effects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease?

The Psychological and Spiritual Dimensions of Palliative Care: A Descriptive Systematic Review

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