Spiritual Needs of Patients: Interview Strategies
Tools for assessment
In the framework of the modern medical care, there are many challenges and aspects that need to be accounted. The aspect of the spiritual harmony and addressing the patient’s spiritual needs is the one that is often overlooked. However, the aim of the modern hospitals is to create the combination of the physical treatment with the belief in the spirituality as an important part of the treatment process (Joint Commission Resources, 2016). There are many aspects required to attend when choosing tools for assessment. However, the most efficient tool of evaluating the spiritual needs is the interview with the patient.Spiritual Needs of Patients: Interview Strategies
Results of the interview, and its transcript
For the assessment of the spiritual needs of my friend as an interviewee, the first question I chose was “Do you practice any religion at the moment?” The answer to the question was “Yes.” In such a way, we defined the necessity to attend the potential religious needs that might be unsatisfied. The next question was “Do you follow any spiritual practices related to religion, including yoga or meditation, etc.?” The subject of the interview answered “Yes.” The next question that logically pursues it is “Do you feel satisfied with the current level of possibilities to gratify your needs?” The interviewee answered that he is not sure but would like to have more time for the attention to the spiritual side of his life. That means that the aspects of the possibilities for the spiritual development of the life of the interviewee could be improved. When asked “Are you satisfied with the level of being able to share your spiritual experiences? Would you like to discuss your latest experience?” the interviewee answered that he is generally satisfied.
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Analysis
The strengths of the interviewing strategy
In order to be able to satisfy the spiritual needs of the patients and to provide the high-quality medical care that not only treats the body but also concerns about the mental and psychological comfort, health care providers need to perform the spiritual needs assessment. There are many components to the spiritual state of the patient but the first one to start is often the religious background (Hawkins et al., 1999). The second important nuance that was a strength of the conducted interview is making sure that the interviewee is not stressed and feels comfortable to talk about his or her spiritual needs.Spiritual Needs of Patients: Interview Strategies
Thirdly, for the evaluation to be effective, the questions for the interview should anticipate different options for the course of the interview because the spiritual needs differ depending on the religious belief, mental state, psychological background, the level of trust between the patient and the interviewer, etc.
Also, the questions for the interview should have the logical interconnection and continuity from one question to another. They also need to start from defining the most generalized issues to the understanding of the precise spiritual needs. Thus, in my opinion, in this interview this objective was realized.
Barriers and challenges, and the methods to address them
The main weakness of the assessment was that the interviewee was not sure whether he needed more opportunities to pursue his spiritual needs. That fact complicated the evaluation. In retrospective, the method to resolve the issue should have been preparing and asking additional questions for clarification.Spiritual Needs of Patients: Interview Strategies
In conclusion, during the process of assessment, there are many aspects to look after. The main ways to make the interview efficient is following the logic of the conversation, and asking the clarifying questions about the spiritual experience.
References
Hawkins, R. S., Siang-Yang, T., & Turk, A. A. (1999). Secular versus Christian inpatient cognitive-behavioral therapy programs: Impact on depression and spiritual well-being. Journal of Psychology and Theology,27(4), 309.
Joint Commission Resources. (2016). Web. Spiritual Needs of Patients: Interview Strategies
