Spirituality has gained increasing attention in the medical literature over the last twenty years. A PubMed search from 1881 to December 1993 reveals 7,032 articles with the words spirituality, spiritual, religion, religious, religiosity or faith in the title or abstract. A search to December 2013, however, shows 32,505 articles using the same search parameters (25,473 in 20 years), with 11,012...

The neuroscience literature supports the idea that spiritual transformation is a powerful behavioral and cognitive change process involving fundamental alterations in the sense of self. Brain regions that are known to mediate the sense of self are activated during religious experiences that in turn underwrite spiritual transformation. Because religious experiences are fundamental to spiritual t...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To explore the core constitutive patterns from the perspective of the older patient with terminal cancer, the major foci of spiritual needs, and professional actions that manifest tangibly as spiritual care. DESIGN Hermeneutic inquiry. SETTING Two leading teaching hospitals in Taiwan. SAMPLE 35 older patients with terminal cancer with a life expectancy of three months. ...

Survey responses were obtained from 113 family physicians in an exploratory investigation of bereavement care by family physicians. Respondents generally indicated that they believed that bereavement presented significant health risks to their patients and that the identification and treatment of bereaved patients was an important part of their role. However, physicians were highly variable in ...

Background The literature reviews show that taking care of dying newborns for a nurse is associated with stress and anxiety, and nurses will be faced with many challenges, the present study aimed to explain the spiritual challenges experienced by nurses in neonatal end of life in the NICU. Materials and Methods The present study was conducted with a qualitative method ­and "purposive" sampling....

BACKGROUND Over half of all deaths in Europe occur in hospital, a location associated with many complaints. Initiatives to improve inpatient end-of-life care are therefore a priority. In England, over 78,000 volunteers provide a potentially cost-effective resource to hospitals. Many work with people who are dying and their families, yet little is known about their training in end-of-life care. ...

The purpose of this study was to develop a midrange theory, building on Orem’s self-care deficit nursing theory (SCDNT) to include constructs of religion, spirituality, and spiritual self-care practices. This mid-range theory, White’s theory of spirituality and spiritual self-care (WTSSSC), was developed and tested as part of a larger study of African American patients with heart failure (HF). ...

PURPOSE This article presents a model for research and practice that expands on the biopsychosocial model to include the spiritual concerns of patients. DESIGNS AND METHODS Literature review and philosophical inquiry were used. RESULTS The healing professions should serve the needs of patients as whole persons. Persons can be considered beings-in-relationship, and illness can be considered ...

Over the last 4 decades, a wide range of energy healing modalities and spiritual disciplines have surfaced in Western society. As health maintenance and therapeutic modalities, energy healing and mind-body techniques are widely recognized as essential tools of contemporary integrative medicine. While still outside the realm of mainstream allopathic medicine, many individuals in North America an...