Abstract
There is a growing body of evidence on the positive effects of religion and spirituality on recovery from cancer and the ability to cope with it. Most spiritual interventions carried out in Iranian research are based on care and support models that have been developed in the West. With the unique cultural and religious features of the Iranian context, a more refined look at spiritual care in the hospital care system of Iran is called for. This paper examines how to implement the spiritual care of cancer patients in hospitals and oncology wards in Iran. A consensus panel of experts was used to develop guidelines for spiritually integrated care consisting of 18 primary areas, which are described in detail in this report. Health care policy makers and managers of health care in Iran and possibly other areas of the Middle East should consider implementing these guidelines. Using indigenous models and programs specific to the religion and the cultural of a region should be considered when providing spiritual care for cancer patients.
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Notes
Chaplain at The George Washington University Hospital.
Staff Chaplain at Forrest General Hospital and Adjunct Professor at the Baptist College of Florida.
Chaplain at Serenity Hospice & Palliative Care.
Head of Spiritual Care Service University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.
Spiritual & Holistic, Multi-faith Care, Practical Theologian & Community Volunteer.
Spiritual Care Practitioner at Bendigo Health.
Muslim Chaplain at Wesleyan University.
Director of Religious Education & Muslim Chaplain.
Clinical Chaplain at Walter reed military medical center at Bethesda.
Volunteer Spiritual Counselor at Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center.
Spiritual Care Consultant at Florida Hospital.
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This study was drawn from a research Project which was funded through Vice-Chancellor’s Office for Research and Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences.
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Memaryan, N., Ghaempanah, Z., Aghababaei, N. et al. Integration of Spiritual Care in Hospital Care System in Iran. J Relig Health 59, 82–95 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00864-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00864-0