“More Spiritual Health Professionals Provide Different Care”: A Qualitative Study in the Field of Mental Health

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an exponential increase in studies demonstrating the positive effects of the religiosity/spirituality (R/S) approach on patients’ physical and mental health. In mental health units, patients want professionals to be sensitive to their spiritual and/or religious needs, which is a fundamental aspect of a holistic approach to patients. Qualitative research with an exploratory and descriptive design with an ethnographic-phenomenological approach through in-depth interviews with sixteen professionals from Spanish mental health units. There is no consensus on the definition of spirituality; however, all of them believe that R/S has a positive influence on the health of patients in coping with illness. They believe that their own R/S may interfere with the professional–patient relationship and their attention to spiritual needs. Few professionals address these needs, citing limitations such as lack of time and lack of specific training in spiritual care. More research is needed on the spiritual care of mental health professionals to define the framework, professional training, and associated challenges in the spiritual care of patients.

Perceived Barriers to Providing Spiritual Care in Palliative Care among Professionals: A Portuguese Cross-Sectional Study

“…For our participants, the most common barriers to providing spiritual care (with agreement varying between 59.3% and 78.1%) were contextual and assistance-related factors such as lack of privacy, lack of relational and communication skills, lack of competent professionals on the team, lack of time, dealing with uncontrolled physical symptoms, and late referral for PC. These results are aligned with other studies indicating that lack of private space, insufficient time, and lack of competent staff are among the prevalent barriers to providing spiritual care [ 23 , 29 , 30 , 31 ]. Professionals identify late referral to PC as the barrier that obtained the highest agreement, frequently resulting in subpar pain and symptom management, increased suffering, and unplanned hospital deaths [ 32 ].…”

Spiritual Care through the Lens of Portuguese Palliative Care Professionals: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis

“…Using a spiritual-centered care approach, the resources of patients and families should also be integrated during the provision of spiritual care plans fostering dignity and the relief of suffering [47,71]. Our findings indicate that participants believe that spiritual care influences a patient's health in some way, positively relating it to coping with a serious illness [72]. Our study strongly indicates that care providers must sustain the ethos of spiritual care, which involves facilitating spiritual practices and making the necessary adjustments to the environment, such as creating a sacred space.…”

Unveiling Mental Health Perspectives: Nursing Students' Attitudes Towards Spirituality

“…Moreover, individuals hold the belief that their personal religious or spiritual beliefs may potentially disrupt the professional-patient dynamic and impact their inclination to address their spiritual requirements. 9 Understanding the ways in which students' spiritual development and perspectives are influenced is crucial for informing spiritual care nursing education and producing competent nurses who provide excellent physical and mental care. Spiritual care will likely be incorporated into the clinical practice of future nurse practitioners and registered nurses from which nursing students graduate.…”