Part I: Interview

Select a patient, a family member, or a friend to interview. Be sure to focus on the interviewee's experience as a patient, regardless of whom you choose to interview.

Review The Joint Commission resource which provides some guidelines for creating spiritual assessment tools for evaluating the spiritual needs of patients. Using this resource and any other guidelines/examples that you can find, create your own tool for assessing the spiritual needs of patients.

Create a survey to assess the subject's spiritual need during the interview. The spiritual needs assessment survey needs a minimum of five questions that can be answered during the interview. During the interview, document the interviewee's responses.

Submit the transcript of the interview. The transcript should include the questions asked and the answers provided. Be sure record the responses during the interview by taking detailed notes. Omit specific names and other personal information from the interview.

Part II: Analysis

Write a 250-500 word analysis of your interview experience. Be sure to exclude specific names and other personal information from the interview. Instead provide demographics such as sex, age, ethnicity, and religion. Include the following in your response:

  1. What went well?
  2. What would you do differently in the future?
  3. Were there any barriers or challenges that inhibited your ability to complete the assessment tool? How would you address these in the future or change your assessment to better address these challenges?
  4. Describe the spiritual experience you had with your patient, family member, or friend using this tool. How does this tool allow you to better meet the needs of your patient?
  5. Did you discover that illness and stress amplified the spiritual concern and needs of your interviewee? Explain your answer with examples.

Submit both the transcript of the interview and the analysis of your results.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

Spiritual Assessment

Revised | November 24, 2008

Q: Does the Joint Commission specify what needs to be included in a spiritual assessment?

A: No. Your organizationwould define the content and scope of spiritual and other assessments and the qualifications of the individual(s) performing the assessment.

Examples of elements that could be but are not required in a spiritual assessment include the following questions directed to the patient or his/her family:

  • Who or what provides the patient with strength and hope?
  • Does the patient use prayer in their life?
  • How does the patient express their spirituality?
  • How would the patient describe their philosophy of life?
  • What type of spiritual/religious support does the patient desire?
  • What is the name of the patient's clergy, ministers, chaplains, pastor, rabbi?
  • What does suffering mean to the patient?
  • What does dying mean to the patient?
  • What are the patient's spiritual goals?
  • Is there a role of church/synagogue in the patient's life?
  • How does your faith help the patient cope with illness?
  • How does the patient keep going day after day?
  • What helps the patient get through this health care experience?
  • How has illness affected the patient and his/her family?

Rubric

  1. Tool for assessing the spiritual needs of patients is present and focuses on experiences of patients. The tool uses effective methods for gathering data that produces the results intended.
  2. An analysis of the interview experience is included and addresses all of the points included in the assignment instructions. The analysis shows a deep understanding of the connections.
  3. Thesis and/or main claim are comprehensive. The essence of the paper is contained within the thesis. Thesis statement makes the purpose of the paper clear.
  4. Clear and convincing argument presents a persuasive claim in a distinctive and compelling manner. All sources are authoritative.
  5. Writer is clearly in command of standard, written, academic English.
  6. All format elements are correct