Spirituality in Patient Care
Details and Description
Description
This landmark handbook for health professionals interested in identifying and addressing the spiritual needs of patients has been significantly revised and expanded. Over the past five years, since the first edition was written, there has been increased research on the relationships among religion, spirituality, and health, and further discussions on the application of these findings to clinical practice. Every section of the book has been rewritten and updated with current research. "I think this version will be my most important contribution to the field of spirituality and health," says Dr. Koenig. "Every bit of what I know about the integration of spirituality into clinical practice, learned over twenty years, is contained in this book."
Koenig addresses the whys, hows, whens, and whats of patient-centered integration of spirituality into patient care, including details on the health-related sacred traditions for each major religious group. He provides health care professionals with the training necessary to screen patients sensitively and competently for spiritual needs, begin to communicate with patients about these issues, and learn when to refer patients to trained spiritual-care professionals who can competently address spiritual needs.
New sections specifically address mental-health professionals, nurses, chaplains and pastoral counselors, social workers, and occupational and physical therapists.
A ten-session model course curriculum on spirituality and health care for medical students and residents is provided, with suggestions on how to adapt it for the training of nurses, social workers, and rehabilitation specialists.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION / 3
1. WHY INCLUDE SPIRITUALITY? / 15
2. HOW TO INCLUDE SPIRITUALITY / 37
3. WHEN TO INCLUDE SPIRITUALITY / 59
4. WHAT MIGHT RESULT? / 72
5. BOUNDARIES AND BARRIERS / 90
6. WHEN RELIGION (OR SPIRITUALITY) IS HARMFUL / 108
7. CHAPLAINS AND PASTORAL CARE / 123
8. SPIRITUALITY IN NURSING CARE / 138
9. SPIRITUALITY IN SOCIAL WORK / 147
10. SPIRITUALITY IN REHABILITATION / 154
11. SPIRITUALITY IN MENTAL HEALTH CARE / 161
12. A MODEL COURSE CURRICULUM / 175
13. INFORMATION ON SPECIFIC RELIGIONS / 188
14. SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS / 228
NOTES / 233
INDEX / 257
Endorsements and Reviews
Reviews
www.theanals.com—Website Review
I found this book to be both interesting and enjoyable to read. Dr. Koenig has filled it with practical information and clinical examples for managing spiritual issues in a medical setting. I recommend this book to all healthcare providers who want to broaden their ability to treat the whole person. An increased sensitivity to patient spirituality takes both practice and knowledge, and this book serves as a catalyst for both. —M Lenz MD BCFM, Greater Cincinnati Associated Physicians, Cincinnati, OH.
Religious Studies Review—Vol. 34, No. 1
This book us a revised and expanded edition of a book that Koenig originally published in 2002… This balanced book is a welcome contribution to the field of religion and health, though it seems that the religion health connection will always remain an open question. Anyone involved with the health profession will find this book interesting and useful. —Nathan Carlin, Rice University
Theoforum—Vol. 39
In short, this is the best and most pedagogical book in the field of spirituality and health care that I have found until now. I strongly recommend it for all those engaged in the field of, and formation in, health care. —Ramon Martinez de Pison
Annals of Pharmacotherapy
I found this book to be both interesting and enjoyable to read. Dr. Koenig has filled it with practical information and clinical examples for managing spiritual issues in a medical setting. I recommend this book to all healthcare providers who want to broaden their ability to treat the whole person. An increased sensitivity to patient spirituality takes both practice and knowledge, and this book serves as a catalyst for both.&mdashKellene M. Lenz, MD
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, Vol. 196, No. 8
This is a small book that attempts to do a very large job and succeeds quite well. The book paints the topic of spirituality in clinical health care with a broad brush, but also is comprehensive. It is perhaps best described as a scholarly manual that instructs rather than motivates. However, given the important need to introduce spirituality to health care practitioners, this book is an excellent start.&mdashJoan D. Koss-Chioino, Ph.D.
Christian Marketplace
Research shows that an individual’s religious beliefs can have a positive effect on their health and this book seeks to encourage the healthcare professional to take a ’spiritual history’ and to work with the patient’s belief… Overall it is a useful contribution to the debate.
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
This book probably won’t "convert" anyone who is not already convinced of the importance of spirituality in patient care, but then it is not meant to do so. It is intended to be a handbook for those who wish to learn more about spirituality and patient care, or for those who seek guidance about performing a spiritual assessment and history. In that, it succeeds. It would make an appropriate reference book in hospitals, clinics, and other health care facilities.
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) - 2008; 299(13)
In the second edition of his book Spirituality in Patient Care: Why, How, When, and What, Harold Koenig, a psychiatrist and geriatric specialist, emphasizes the importance of taking patients’ spirituality seriously. Since many people turn to spiritual beliefs when they are threatened by illness or loss, the author, well known for his interest in the appropriate inclusion of spirituality in medical care, believes that a health professional (and he usually means a physician by this term) should be the one performing the spiritual assessment and history to optimally care for the patient.
[This book] is intended to be a handbook for those who wish to learn more about spirituality and patient care, or for those who seek guidance about performing a spiritual assessment and history. In that, it succeeds. It would make an appropriate reference book in hospitals, clinics, and other health care facilities.
—Pat Fosarelli, MD, DMin, Reviewer, Eumenical Institute
Translations
German