Spiritual Support Lacking for Terminally Ill

The medical community is usually very good at providing physical and emotional care to people who are dying of cancer. Surgical techniques are becoming more advanced all the time. Many different kinds of drugs can be prescribed, including chemotherapy. And psychotherapy or group support may be available. But a recent study indicated a severe shortage when it comes to one kind of care - the spiritual or religious type.

The research done was part of the Coping with Cancer study, which focused on individuals who were considered terminally ill. Most of the participants said that religion and spirituality were important to them. But almost 72% stated that the medical system considered those aspects of their care either very little or not at all.

In some areas of medicine - for example, the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care - religious and spiritual care is considered important to the patient's quality of life. But it seems that actually providing this care can be difficult. The researchers admit that spiritual needs must be handled carefully. But they're just as important to patient comfort as medications and counseling.

The researchers recommended that members of the medical community determine ways to meet their patients' spiritual needs. These methods also need to be evaluated to see if they're effective, and adapted or changed if they aren't.

It was also suggested that there be more clarification of the roles of doctors, nurses, other health care providers, and chaplains. This hasn't been much of an issue in the past when it came to traditional physical care, particularly because of licensing requirements and limitations. But religious and spiritual care tended to be left to the chaplains, who unfortunately may not have enough time to minister to all the people needing their attention. Clearer definitions of "who does what" might help assure that no aspects of patient care are missed.

The researchers stated that oncologist involvement was especially important. Since religion and spirituality can be so individualized, oncologists should consult with their patients to find the best ways to provide this kind of support.

The study brought up another problem, though - one that did not apply to the medical system. More than half of the participants stated that they got little or no support from their religious communities. There were no suggestions made in the literature about how to do this. But it seems obvious that religious communities need to work on their own deficiencies when it comes to supporting their members who are terminally ill.

Religion and spirituality are delicate issues. But the study participants identified these issues as important to them, and yet lacking in the care and support they received. It's important that health care and religious providers find ways to meet all of their patients' - and community members' - needs, in order to make the end of their lives as comfortable as possible.