Paper Example on Spiritual Assessment

Introduction

It is no doubt that there is certainly an opportunity in every country particularly to upgrade the quality as well as the performance of the health-care system. Apparently, for the provision of a holistic care by the health care practitioners, there is a need for an in-depth spiritual assessment during care sessions (Dunn, 2018). Despite the ever-growing awareness of the importance of religion and spirituality in the medical field, there has been a clear tendency of patient's spiritual and religious background being overlooked for quite some time now. In this light, there has been an effort by the Joint Commission where health organizations are called to include a spiritual assessment to keep-up with the accreditation. This is done to ensure those medical providers make inquiries on the spiritual impressions and overall insight regarding patients and the problem they face and figure out how well they can be assisted (LaRocca-Pitts, 2015). The Joint Commission has been suggesting some guidelines which could be used for the spiritual needs of the patient in a healthcare system. After going through various resources I have come up with my tool for assessing spiritual needs of a particular patient through asking 7 questions that were answered in my presence.

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Spiritual Assessment Tool

In essence, spirituality and religion are an essential part of various people and can act as powerful resources in assisting them to attain their well-being and guide them to overcome life challenges. Out of the possible six spiritual assessments tools which are CSI- MEMO, FICA, HOPE, FAITH, FACT, and SPIRIT, I decided to work on the assessment F.A.C.T (Resources, 2018). My decision to search for this tool was because I wanted something that would remain simple, focused, and versatile. Moreover, F.A.C.T is an important tool for assessment because it gives me room to acquire information on an individual's spiritual life, history as well as how it can affect their overall ability to cope up with their current health-care conditions (National Institute of health, 2018). In this light, various people tend to use their faith to handle their healthcare challenges.

Interview

For the purpose of this practice, I had to choose a lady who I had interviewed earlier regarding the Affordable Health Care Act. Her name was Shirley Johns and she presented herself as a private consultant who worked for the ADHD. Additionally, she is a pediatric nurse specialist with a certified master in counseling and education. I had to choose Ms. Shirley given the fact that she had diverse experience in the healthcare. My aim of interviewing her was to get some glimpse of her overall perspective of spiritual assessment F.A.C.T while she is currently battling her illness.

Question #1

What is your belief? Are you a person who acknowledges faith?

"Personally I am a staunch Christian and I take religion in high regard. I believe in the Bible and certainly the life of Jesus Christ. Christian faith has been a thing that gives me direction in my life"

Question #2

Regarding your faith, do you consider yourself an active member of the religious community? Do you get the necessary support from your faith?

"To be honest I am always an active member of my faith and I am well empowered of the knowledge regarding my religious community. The Bible, therefore, has been something that gives me the necessary strength and whatever I require in life"

Question #3

What helps you cope up with your current situation? How is your faith helping you cope with your health issues?

"The fact that I am hopeful to continue with my life has been a great deal particularly coping up with my health issues. Staying together with the congregation at my church is really helpful because it is where I get motivation from"

Question #4

Is your treatment responsible for your recovery?

"Despite treatment being responsible for my recovery, I believe that it is my faith that has made me overcome illness all along"

Question #5

Do you believe that your spirituality will come along in case doctors intend to change the method of your treatment?

"I believe that I am on the right path to my recovery and I don't believe that my faith will come in the way"

Question #6

Is there anything within your religion that does not go along with healing?

"To be honest with you, I know there are various beliefs among Christians but for my faith, we do support the whole process of healing"

Question #7

How often is your faith enabling you to have empathy towards the sick?

"I believe in helping those in need and through my faith, I have learned a lot regarding helping the sick"

Analysis

What Went Well?

Primarily, there are a lot of positive outcomes from the interview. I realized that the assessment had something huge than just healing. It could be as well be used as a plan for helping another patient in the hospital. It is, therefore, crucial keeping in mind that when conducting a spiritual assessment it is the beginning of creating a spiritual care plan than just the end. In general, Shirley appeared to be very comfortable and open in discussing personal details regarding her religion. Seeing how she valued her religion and the way she applied it in daily life experience gave room for the success of the interview.

Barriers and Challenges

Asking a patient about their faith is always challenging as some may not feel comfortable with the questions regarding this topic. Additionally, the time constraint is another fact that is challenging to hold a successful assessment. In this particular interview, I happened to be the main barrier considering the fact that I am still in my earlier stage of growing spirituality. In this light, it was difficult for me to ask various questions on religious matters bearing in mind that I have little knowledge concerning Christianity. It is crucial for one to be familiar with the kind of question that he or she intends to ask a patient, particularly regarding the spiritual care.

The Ability of the Tools to Meet the Needs of the Patient

In my opinion, I think this is a rather successful tool because it determines whether the faith of an individual has had an impact on their healing process. Additionally, it provides a glimpse on the effect of a patient's spiritual well-being on their current health care condition. Noteworthy, this assessment tool is no doubt the stepping stone to a successful treatment plan which aims to improve the health condition of a patient.

Whether Illness and Stress Amplified the Spiritual Concern and Needs of the Interviewee

Patients are well known to be strong and serious with their faith particularly at the time they are unwell. In regards to this interview, Ms. Shirley did indicate that she was strong in her spiritual wellbeing even at the time she was well. This is expressed when she said "To be honest I am always an active member of my faith and I am well empowered of the knowledge regarding my religious community. The Bible, therefore, has been something that gives me the necessary strength and whatever I require in life"

References

Dunn, L. (2018). Spiritual Assessment: What is your Method?. Retrieved from http://rnojournal.binghamton.edu/index.php/RNO/article/view/62

LaRocca-Pitts, M. (2015). Four FACTs Spiritual Assessment Tool. Journal Of Health Care Chaplaincy, 21(2), 51-59. doi: 10.1080/08854726.2015.1015303

National institute of health, (2018). Four FACTs Spiritual Assessment Tool. - PubMed - NCBI. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25793421

Resources, J. (2018). Patient Safety and Quality Care | Joint Commission Resources. Retrieved from https://www.jcrinc.com