The requirements of hospital-based spiritual care for cancer patients

Abstract

PURPOSE: This paper aimed to discover the requirements of hospital-based spiritual care for cancer patients. METHODS: This study was a descriptive qualitative-exploratory research, in which 25 participants were selected through purposive sampling and had semi-structured interviews. RESULT: The data analysis revealed 3 themes and 8 sub-themes including fundamental requirements (changes in the attitudes and behaviors of the healthcare team), structural requirements (inter-professional collaborations, a reference system), and functional requirements (religious-spiritual, pastoral, psycho-spiritual, and supportive-spiritual care). In this study, the received topics have been related to the spiritual care which can help improve patient care. CONCLUSION: The results were added to the repertoire of knowledge about the spiritual needs of cancer patients. The results indicated that it is essential to get acquainted with the spiritual care requirements in the hospital and enforce them through inter-professional collaboration. Accordingly, the spiritual care program should be designed, implemented, and evaluated.