Approaching Spirituality Using the Patient-Centered Clinical Method

J Relig Health. 2019 Feb;58(1):109-118. doi: 10.1007/s10943-017-0534-6.

Abstract

Although the scientific literature already suggests the importance of spiritual care in clinical practice, this topic has been apart from the routine of many practitioners, and many physicians still have difficulties in how to carry out such approaches in the clinical setting. This article reflects on the importance of spirituality in the health-disease process and provides an approach to the biopsychosocial-spiritual care in the practice of primary care. In addition, the aim of the authors is to propose a spiritual approach based on the patient-centered clinical method. This method has been used for clinical communication and can be powerful for exploring spiritual history. Thus, using a fictional case scenario as a practical example, the authors guide readers to understand the patient-centered approach they propose.

Keywords: Patient-centered; Primary care; Spiritual history; Spirituality.

MeSH terms

  • Communication
  • Humans
  • Patient-Centered Care*
  • Physicians*
  • Primary Health Care
  • Spirituality*