How do you define health? “Feeling good.”
Are there any special beliefs or practices you follow for health or illness? “No.”
How do you deal with pain? “Take OTC-Ibuprofen.”
How do you express grief? “I usually keep things to myself, and cry when I am alone.”
Are there any cultural practices or beliefs that may affect the plan for your care? “No.”
Which types of practitioners do you see when you are ill? “Doctor or nurse practitioner.”
Do you prefer a male or female practitioner? “female”.
Are there any specific foods you eat or avoid? “No, I just watch my salt intake”
What do you do to stay healthy? “exercise 2-3 times a week.”
Do you have any food or drug allergies? “No.”
Are you at risk for diseases or disorders related to your culture? “No.”
Spiritual Assessment:
FICA: Spirituality Assessment (Swihart, 2021, Feb. 18):
(F) Faith and Belief: Do you have any spiritual beliefs? “My religion is Catholic and believe in God.”
(I) Importance: What influence does your spirituality have in your life and healthcare decisions? “Helps me have faith and everything will work out.”
(C) Community: Are you part of a religious/spiritual community and do you rely on its support? “I belong to St. John Catholic Church. I haven’t been very active since Covid”
(A) Address in Care: How should we address your spirituality while providing care? “I believe praying helps”
Reference
LHC. (n.d.). Saba. https://lhcgroup.sabacloud.com/Saba/Web_spf/NA1PRD0128/app/shared;spf-url=common%2Fleclassdetail%2Fregdw000000010411858.
Libretexts. (2020, July 14). 3.4: Cultural competency. Medicine LibreTexts. https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Nursing/Book%3A_Leadership_and_Influencing_Change_in_Nursing_(Wagner)/03%3A_Diversity_in_Health_Care_Organizations/3.04%3A_Cultural_Competency.
Swihart, D. L. (2021, February 18). Cultural religious competence in clinical practice. StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493216/#article-41244.s4.
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Collapse SubdiscussionPaige Williams
Paige Williams
WednesdayJun 9 at 7:33pm
A cultural and spiritual assessment is the first step towards addressing the spiritual needs of patients. As healthcare providers, we must have knowledge that spirituality and religion carry a variety of meanings for different people. Religion is defined as the organized or institutionalized belief systems that attempt to provide specific answers to mankind’s general spiritual needs and questions. Spirituality pertains to people’s understanding of and beliefs about the meaning of life and their sense of connection to the world around them. (Anandarajah, 2005) Before conducting a spiritual assessment on a patient healthcare professionals should consider their personal traditions, beliefs, practices, positive and negative experiences, attitudes on faith and healing, and ability to participate in another’s spirituality or share their own. There are many assessment tools to guide the interview and obtain information. For the patient interview, I utilized the FICA Spiritual History Tool which utilizes an acronym to guide health professionals through a series of questions designed to elicit patient spirituality and its potential effect on their health care. (Saquil, 2012)
Faith and belief- Do you have spiritual beliefs that help you cope with stress?
The patient reports she likes to be alone when she feels she needs to unwind from life stressors. During this time, she will occasionally write in her self-care journal. She states her journal has topics that help refocus her mind. She reports her favorite place is her backyard, but she can only utilize it when the weather is appropriate. She states she finds peace and a connection to the outdoor specifically sitting in the sun, “soaking up vitamin D”.
Importance- Have your beliefs influenced how you take care of yourself in this illness?
The patient reports not having any religious beliefs that influence her health, however, she states she believes in self-care regimens. She reports she works out 3 days a week and attends yoga class. She also reports sharing her experience with her friends/ loved ones because they continue to motivate her.
Community- Are you part of a spiritual or religious community?
The patient reports that she is not currently a part of a spiritual community physical however she utilizes social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. She follows a specific group called “Black Girls Healing House” where women share stories and get support from other members. She states she finds motivational Instagram profiles that share several quotes which help her get through things.
Address and Care- How would you like me to address these issues in your health care?
The patient verbalizes that she has one belief that affects preventative health. She discloses that she is currently against immunizations for personal reasons and asks her healthcare team to respect her choices.
References
Anandarajah, G. (2005). Doing a Culturally Sensitive Spiritual Assessment: Recognizing Spiritual Themes and Using the HOPE Questions. AMA Journal of Ethics, 7(5). https://doi.org/10.1001/virtualmentor.2005.7.5.cprl1-0505 ()
Saguil, A., & Phelps, K. (2012). The spiritual assessment. American family physician, 86(6), 546–550.
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