Question

If a spiritual assessment is important, what are some of the important questions you need to make sure you ask that
would be important in determining if there is any spiritual distress on the part of the patient?

Answer 1

Ans) Meeting the patient's spiritual needs is part of daily nursing care, yet many nurses feel uncomfortable performing a spiritual assessment. This is especially difficult when the patient presents no clues to their spiritual/religious preference or has a spiritual belief unfamiliar to the nurse.

- Using acronyms, spiritual assessment tools assist with remembering key spiritual concepts. These devices are useful for a diverse patient population. Questions derived from the assessment areas can be easily tailored to a client's cognitive development or cultural background.

- One popular acronym tool is the FICA model.2 These are the areas of assessment and possible questions that could be asked:

F-Faith or beliefs: What are your spiritual beliefs? Do you consider yourself spiritual? What things do you believe in that give meaning to life?

I-Importance and influence: Is faith/spirituality important to you? How has your illness and/or hospitalization affected your personal practices /beliefs?

C-Community: Are you connected with a faith center in the community? Does it provide support/comfort for you during times of stress? Is there a person/group/leader who supports/assists you in your spirituality?

A-Address: What can I do for you? What support/guidance can health care provide to support your spiritual beliefs/practices?

None of the questions impart a religion or belief system onto the patient. These are open-ended questions that ask the patients about their personal spiritual beliefs.