Impact of Spirituality on Palliative Care Physicians: Personally and Professionally

Background: Modern palliative care defines four key domains fundamental to a patients' holistic care: physical, emotional, social, and spiritual. Regardless of the symptom being addressed, all four domains of care may need to be addressed to reduce suffering and encourage healing. Yet, despite the spiritual domain consistently being asserted as an integral part of palliative care, more is written on how to provide the physical, emotional, and social aspects of care than on how to provide spiritual care. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the perspectives and experiences of palliative care physicians regarding the spiritual domain of care and to identify the role of this domain both personally and professionally. Design: This study recruited a purposeful sample of palliative care physicians and utilized the qualitative method of phenomenology to elicit palliative care physician's perspectives and experiences regarding the importance of spirituality in providing palliative care to patients. Results: Themes that emerged from the study in relation to palliative care physicians' perspectives and experiences regarding the spiritual domain of care included the concept of spirituality and the difference between spirituality and religion. The overarching theme was the concept of how the participant's own spirituality impacted their practice and their practice impacted their spirituality. These were inextricably woven together. Conclusion: Addressing spirituality was fundamental to a palliative care physician providing compassionate and holistic care. The impact of a physician's personal spirituality on practice and practice on spirituality were inextricably woven together.