Spirituality In Healthcare Essay

Spirituality in Healthcare

The Age of Enlightenment shook the foundation of a world reliant on religion and its authority over the populace, who found security in being directed how to think and what to believe. During the period of enlightenment, science and technology quickly gained popularity, convincing the believers of their mind’s capabilities, teaching them to think for themselves, and essentially supplanting the church as the central authority. Where once spirituality performed a substantial role in the overall health of the patient, the practicality of science gave people something tangible to put their faith in and spirituality in healthcare was set aside and forgotten. It was not until recently that researchers began to question and study the importance of spirituality in the healthcare environment, and

Spirituality is defined as “the aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose and the way they experience their connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred,” (Puchalski, 2013, p. 493). Repeatedly, studies show spirituality does in fact play a significant role in the health, welfare and recovery of the patient. The patient has always been the center of focus when studies have been conducted on spirituality in healthcare, until recently, when the question arose regarding the impact of spirituality in healthcare on the healthcare worker. Healthcare organizations should be required to incorporate spirituality into their routine treatment regimen in order to inspire happiness in healthcare workers, impact patient health, build stronger relationships with the Catholic Church, support treatment in a whole-person setting and dedicate an entire system to spiritual healthcare to include the patient, clinician, and