Introduction Spiritual, religious, and cultural beliefs and practices play a significant role in the lives of patients who are seriously ill and dying. Attention to the spiritual component of the illness experienced by the patient and family is not new within the context of nursing care, yet many nurses lack the comfort or skills to assess and intervene in this dimension. Spirituality contains features of religiosity, but the two concepts are not interchangeable (Puchalski, Lunsford, Harris, et al., 2006). Spirituality refers to “one’s relationship with the transcendent questions”. For most people, contemplating one’s own death raises many issues, such as the meaning of existence, the purpose of suffering, and the existence of
A – Address in Care
"How would you like me, your healthcare provider, to address these issues in your healthcare?" CONCLUSION It is the obligation of all physicians and other health care professionals to respond to, as well as attempt to relieve, all suffering if possible (Puchalski, 2002). The culture in which we live today have to look at the dying in a different way. Dying is a natural part of life it is not a medical problem or diagnosis. It can be meaningful and peaceful when we as health care professionals take the time to inquire about our patients spiritual beliefs. Wayne Muller wrote: There are times in all our lives when we are forced to reach deep into ourselves to feel the truth of our real nature. For each of us there comes a moment when we can no longer live our lives by accident. Life throws us into questions that some of us refuse to ask until we are confronted by death or some tragedy in our lives. What do I know to be most deeply true? What do I love, and have I loved well? Who do I believe myself to be and what have I placed on the center of the altar of my life? Where do I belong? What will people find in the ashes of my incarnation when it is over? How shall I live my life knowing that I will die? And what is