Online first
Review paper
Published online: 2024-09-23
Spiritual care provided by a physician in a pain management clinic: a bidirectional relationship between chronic non-cancer pain and spirituality
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DOI: 10.5603/pmp.100864
Abstract
Introduction: Recent years have seen a significant increase in research on the relationship between spirituality and chronic disease. This article aims to present the publications and research evidence on this topic and to propose a model for providing spiritual care in pain management clinic.
Methods: The study uses the snowball method. The key source for this article was Professor Christina Puchalski’s book entitled A Time for Listening and Caring: Spirituality and the Care of the Chronically Ill and Dying.
Results: Changes occurring in this sphere can take one of three directions. In some patients, spiritual experiences and beliefs may reduce their quality of life (spiritual distress) and even increase pain. In other patients, suffering can cause a complete disappearance of spiritual life. Spirituality can also be developed and help to adapt to illness. This third possibility is what is known as positive spiritual coping. The patient can use their spiritual beliefs and experiences to find resilience and even acceptance in the face chronic pain.
Conclusions: Given the existence of this possibility, the aim of spiritual care will be precisely to restore spiritual well-being to patients who experience spiritual distress. Physicians can provide spiritual care that improves the quality of life by adopting the right attitude towards patients and talking to them about their life story and spiritual beliefs and experiences.
Keywords: chronic painspiritual caremoralitysufferingquality of life
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