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Assess and document spiritual needs of the patient and family on an on-going
basis:
- Ask patient and/or family key spiritual assessment questions, e.g., “Are
you actively involved in a spiritual/religious community? Do you want to
see and talk with a pastoral care representative?”
- Document assessments.
Encourage access to spiritual resources:
- Include a “pastoral
care consult assessment” category on
physician Comfort Care Order form.
- Document access to spiritual resources.
Elicit and facilitate spiritual and cultural practices which the patient
and family find comforting:
- When the patient is imminently dying,
if spiritual issues are paramount with the patient and/or family, include
the appropriate pastoral care representative
who understands the patient’s and/or family’s spiritual goals
or unfinished issues in clinical team discussions.
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Promoting Excellence in End-of-Life Care is a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation dedicated to long-term changes in health care institutions to substantially improve care for dying persons and their families. Visit PromotingExcellence.org for more resources.
