Spiritual Assessment

NUR 645E
Grand Canyon University
April 3, 2013

Abstract
Evidence has linked a strong relationship between spirituality and medicine. There is a positive correlation between a patient’s spirituality or religious commitment and health outcomes. A spiritual assessment as a part of a health assessment is a practical step to incorporating patient’s spiritual needs into practice. The FICA Tool and HOPE Questions provide serve to assist clinicians in the spiritual assessment process. By examining the research done using these tools, it has been determined that the FICA Tool is easy to use and provides basic data on a patient’s spirituality. The FICA tool is both reliable and valid. The HOPE Questions are …show more content…

E pertains to the effects of a patient’s spirituality and beliefs on medical care and end of life issue (Anandarajah & Hight, 2001).
Ease of Use/ Comprehensiveness of Data
For a spiritual tool to be effective, it must be easy to use and provide comprehensive details about a person’s spirituality. The FICA Spiritual Assessment Tool consists of four categories with easy to use questions that can guide the conversation. Examples of the questions that can be asked in each can be found in Appendix A. This tool is a quick and easy means to conduct a spiritual history.
The HOPE Questions consists of four categories. This tool can be utilized when time is a factor. It is brief and flexible, thereby making the HOPE Tool easy to use. Examples of the questions to ask can be found in Appendix B.
Literature suggests that humans have four spiritual necessities in sickness and health. These are the need for “meaning and purpose, to give hope and receive love, for creativity, and for forgiveness. Other needs include faith, connectedness, and the need for the right relationship with self, others, and God” (Allen & Crouch, 2005). The FICA Tool examines the areas of faith and beliefs, importance, community, and address in care. Exploring each of these areas provides a comprehensive view of a patient’s spirituality.
The HOPE Tool focuses on sources of hope, strength, the role