Spirituality is much valued in the profession of nursing. As such, this means that nurses must be able to recognize and evaluate the spiritual needs of their patients. To accomplish this goal, nurses must be familiar with various tools used to evaluate patients’ spiritual needs. The first tool can be interviewing the patient is the first step in determining their spiritual needs. Also the nurse can gain a deeper understanding of the patient’s spiritual beliefs, practices, and values by conversing with the patient (Demmrich & Huber, 2019). The patient’s understanding on what is their relationship with God and their participation in spiritual practices such as prayer, meditation, and rituals, are some possible questions to address. As a result, the nurse can in a better way understand the patients spiritual needs thus aiding them.
The second most commonly used tool is an assessment questionnaire for the patient’s spiritual needs. According to Bussing (2021) questionnaire inquiries aim to ascertain the patient’s spiritual beliefs and the guiding principles and actions that reflect those beliefs. The purpose of the questions is to determine the patient’s sense of purpose and direction in life with their views regards to the existence of a higher power, the afterlife, and spiritual pursuits. These questions can give the nurses important information on the patient’s spiritual well-being, enabling them to offer the patient the necessary treatment possible. The spiritual care plan is the third method for assessing a patient’s spiritual requirements. These requirements and goals are laid out in writing in this plan, along with a procedure for meeting those needs. Nissen et al. (2021) states that the method involves a plan that patients can use to accomplish their spiritual goals. Also the plan should contain a list of the patient’s spiritual assets and weaknesses which increases the possibility that the patient’s spiritual needs will be met, making monitoring the patient’s spiritual well-being simple. The final approach that can be used to determine whether a patient has any spiritual needs is spiritual treatment. Counseling and assistance are required to understand and treat the patient’s spiritual issues effectively. Through the counseling session, the nurse can assist the patient in developing resilience and coping mechanisms and acquiring an understanding of their spiritual beliefs, values, and practices.
In conclusion, various techniques can be applied to assess a patient’s spiritual needs, including spiritual care plans, spiritual treatment, spiritual evaluation surveys or the use of questionnaire, and interviews. By utilizing these resources, nurses may get a deeper understanding of their patient’s spiritual health and ensure that their patients’ spiritual requirements are met.
