Spirituality and Health and Its Significance in Patients' Care as Perceived and Practiced by Teaching Medical Professionals in India

INTRODUCTION:  The 37^th World Health Assembly adopted resolution that spiritual dimension should be added to the scope of health. WHO developed Quality Of Life (WHOQOL) instrument in 1995 considering six domains, one being 'spirituality, religiosity and personal beliefs (SRPB)'. Since 1998, WHO multi-centric-study had been underway in eighteen countries to refine the WHPQOLSRPB module. Facets identified include divine love, inner-strength, wholeness, meaning-of-life and forgiveness. Study Objectives have been to evolve facets of spirituality, its conceptualization and definition and to explore its relevance in the present day medical and health-care, apart from developing an instrument of measurement. 

METHODS:  An ‘Opinion Poll’ on perceptions of spiritual health using a brief questionnaire with fourteen open-ended and structured explicit questions covering concept, definition and the role of spirituality in health and medical-care was conducted through nine Coordinators located at Medical Colleges at Dharan, NEPAL; New Delhi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Mumbai, Kolkata, Tirupati, and Pondicherry, in INDIA. A total of 528 Teaching Medical Doctors have participated in the study.

RESULTS:  The role of Spiritual dimension of health in maintaining overall health was endorsed by 67% Doctors; 51% believed that Spiritual health is extremely important in medical care while 77% felt that patients have Spiritual needs and 42% confirmed catering to patients’ Spiritual needs in their clinical practice. Sixty-eight percent were of the opinion that health professionals should have some formal training or exposure in dealing with Spiritual health as 74% perceived that Doctors’ Spiritual health and growth helps providing better patient care. Qualitative analyses findings are even more interesting.

CONCLUSIONS:  Spiritual health is well recognized among medical fraternity and its role in patient care is appreciated. Findings may help conduct further research on spiritual-health, especially on the aspects with objectivity to know how it can be integrated in the present health-care-system and may be in medical curricula.