Spiritual Assessment Tool Patient

Summary of assessment findings

Spiritual assessment can be defined as the evaluation of patient’s beliefs and values with an aim of finding out whether they have any effect on his or her physical health (Oakley, Katz, Sauer, Dent & Millar, 2010). It is critical to point out that many patients relate their illnesses to spirits and acknowledge that spiritual health is essential as physical health. In fact, faith plays a vital role in helping patients to cope with their diseases (Oakley et al., 2010). Thus, it is important for medical practitioners to focus on addressing patients’ spiritual needs for the reason that this would be vital in creating an all-inclusive management plan, particularly for cancer and terminally ill patients. Many scholars have suggested that medical practitioners should consider the spiritual needs of patients who have chronic pains, but should not be their religious advisors (Skalla & McCoy, 2006).

From the assessment, it is clear that the patient had a belief system, which helped him to cope with the pain (Mueller, 2009). The sick individual revealed that faith acted as a source of hope, security, love, courage, and comfort. The patient’s responses indicated that he had come from a religious background, which emphasized the importance of prayer in their lives. The patient stated that his aunt, mother, and brother are very important because they are the basis of his knowledge of God’s love and truth, and are always there for him to give him hope, despite his condition. The client requested the nurse to be transparent and genuine when enlightening him on his condition with regard to when he should pray.

Significant discoveries that were made about the client

It was discovered that the client’s faith in God gave him love, hope, security, and courage to face the next day. The patient was free with the nurse and expressed himself with courage and confidence, indicating a sigh of relief. In addition, the patient hoped that the assessor would give him more information in relation to when he should pray and hoped that God would perform a miracle on him. It was discovered that the client was courageous, and his persistence in hope helped him to manage the pain he was experiencing.

Want went well

The assessment session was successful. This was the case because the client cooperated in answering the questions. He was hopeful, courageous, and passionate. He believed that God will perform a miracle for him. The client answered all the questions with confidence and bravery. In fact, he demonstrated concern on how he expected the assessor to assist him. This discussion was necessary because the medical practitioner was able to connect the spiritual needs of a client with his physical health. It is evident that the client demonstrated satisfaction with the questions that were asked and was cautious when answering them.

What would be done differently in the future

In future, the manner in which questions were framed and asked would be different. Simpler language would be used than the one used in this assessment. This will facilitate communication. Nonverbal communication, such as gestures would be emphasized and observed. The period of assessment will be increased, and more questions would be asked to get more insights in relation to religious beliefs. This would enable the medical practitioner to meet the patient’s needs in a better way.

Barriers or challenges that hindered the completion of the assessment tool and how they were addressed

First, time was inadequate. In fact, the patient’s spiritual needs would have been explored better if time was adequate. This hindered the process because the client was slow in responding to questions because of his condition. A lack of familiarity in taking the religious needs of the patient was another challenge. This resulted in fear that inhibited the process of assessment. Identifying patients who were willing to discuss their spiritual needs was a challenge. The client did not understand the questions and sometimes gave wrong answers.

However, it is worth to note that the challenges that were encountered are manageable and if they are handled well, spiritual assessment would be excellent. With regard to time, it would be necessary to allocate more for the evaluation process to be comprehensively covered. Training nurses is essential to acquaint them with relevant skills, knowledge, and improve their efficiency in doing their reviews. As a result, there would be the development of confidence and quality assessment. The focus should be on the terminally ill because they are free to discuss their spiritual issues (Skalla & McCoy, 2006). Finally, there should be an interpreter in case the client does not understand the language of the assessor to assist him in answering the questions.

Spiritual experience I had with a patient

Religious needs are essential to every individual as aforementioned. They are important in informing the medical practitioner if the condition of a terminally ill patient is affected by his or her faith. The experience was important because it gave an insight of how clients feel when they have no one to share their experiences. The experience also exposed the assessor to many spiritual values, such as love, compassion, and courage. In addition, it gave both the client and the patient an opportunity to share their religious experiences.

How the assessment allows the assessor to meet the needs of the patient

The evaluation was helpful because the assessor was able to understand the role of religious believes in promoting spiritual health. The nurse also learned that patients need someone to share their experiences. This helps them to relieve his or her pain and make them feel comforted. Finally, it assisted the nurse in linking the physical health to religious health.

The assessment tool, questions, and answers that were used

The assessment tool that was utilized was HOPE, where H refers to sources of client’s love, security, and courage, which should be examined before the client is assessed. This is meant to prepare him psychologically for the evaluation process. O implies the areas of concern with regard to organized religious beliefs in a client’s life. P refers to the particular aspects of personal faith and practices that are essential in the client’s life. E entails the effects of the client’s faith in medical care, such as how religious aspects influence his life as a whole. Thus, this is an important tool for assessing the spiritual needs of patients.

Questions and answers

Assessor: What is your faith?

Client: That Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, the Son of God. That we need to hold onto His hope because His word says, “nothing is impossible with Him”.

Assessor: Do you consider your religion or spirituality?

Client: I consider myself spiritual because I do not have a religious connection with God. I have a relationship.

Assessor: What things do you believe give meaning to your life?

Client: hope. That God holds everything in the palm of His hand and because of His love for me no matter what, He will work it out through hope.

Assessor: Is it important in your life?

Client: it is the foundation of my faith and what gives me hope to face the next day.

Assessor: What influence does it have on how you take care of your life?

Client: Walk in the security of His plans for my life and not in fear.

Assessor: How do your beliefs influence your behavior during this time of illness?

Client: Compassion, Hope. Heaven is for real. Abundant love because He first loved me.

Assessor: What role do your beliefs play in regaining your health?

Client: God’s promises in His word. These promises are there for us to claim them. So I will call on the name of the Lord in the days of trouble.

Assessor: Are you part of a spiritual or religious community?

Client: Spiritual- religion is a group of rituals and regulations. True spirituality is a relationship.

Assessor: Is this of support to you and how?

Client: Extremely. God made us love one another and be a source of encouragement. Having His word is having a spiritual surgical tool.

Assessor: Is there a person or a group of people you really love, or who are really important to you?

Client: Yes. I love my aunt, mother, and brother. They are the foundation of my knowledge of the word and truth of God. They are always there for me as a foundation of hope for His word.

Assessor: How would you like me, your healthcare provider, to address issues with regard to your healthcare?

Client: By being informative and clear on the truth of my condition. You be specific in what I need to pray for and letting me know He is behind me in the medical approach as much as in the spiritual. Reminding me that you have seen miracles, and I can be one of those who received Jesus healing. Hope. It all comes up with hope. The truth will always set you free.

References

Mueller, C. R. (2009). Spirituality in children: understanding and developing interventions. Pediatric nursing, 36(4), 197-203.

Oakley, E., Katz, G., Sauer, K., Dent, B., & Millar, A. L. (2010). Physical Therapists’ Perception of Spirituality and Patient Care: Beliefs, Practices, and Perceived Barriers. Journal, physical therapy education, 24(2), 45.

Skalla, K. A., & McCoy, J. P. (2006). Spiritual assessment of patients with cancer: the moral authority, vocational, esthetic, social, and transcendent model. In Oncology nursing forum (Vol. 33, No. 4, pp. 745-751). Oncology Nursing Society.