The Spiritual Event of Serious Illness

Thought leaders in palliative care have long recognized the spiritual implications of illness, including Dame Cicely Saunders ’ groundbreaking concept of suffering as comprised of physical, emotional, social, and spiritual sources of pain. However despite such recognition, spirituality remains an oft-neglected component of the bio-psychosocial spiritual model of caregiving in serious illness. We aim in this manuscript to highlight, through an in depth account of patients’ experiences and attitudes, the concept of illness as a “spiritual event.”
Source: Journal of Pain and Symptom Management - Category: Palliative Care Authors: Source Type: research