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Multicultural and Spiritual Considerations

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Palliative Care in Hematologic Malignancies and Serious Blood Disorders

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Abstract

Hematologic malignancies and blood disorders impact physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Attention to multicultural and spiritual considerations in serious illness is correlated with improved outcomes and quality of life for patients and their loved ones. Palliative care addresses and embraces spiritual and cultural aspects of care by caring for patients in their wholeness, with an interdisciplinary team with the expertise to do so. Spiritual and cultural considerations have the potential to impact nearly all aspects of patient care and decision-making. The interdisciplinary approach of palliative care can help identify spiritual and cultural distress and resources for coping. Specifically, social workers and chaplains’ active involvement and leadership in patient care for blood cancers and disorders can facilitate advance care planning, spiritual screening, and assessment and enhance communication and empathy. Ensuring care and appropriate guidance in holistic care for patients also mitigates medical clinician distress. Guidelines for healthcare social work and spiritual care and case studies elucidate the critical nature of multicultural and spiritual consideration in caring for hematologic malignancies and serious blood disorders.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Spiritual Care Services/Howell Palliative Care, UC San Diego Health, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Allison Kestenbaum

  2. Volunteer and Spiritual Care Services, University of California, San Diego Health, San Diego, CA, USA

    Portia Howard

  3. Moores Cancer Center Radiation Oncology, UC San Diego Health, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Yuko Abbott

Authors
  1. Allison Kestenbaum
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  2. Portia Howard
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  3. Yuko Abbott
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Allison Kestenbaum .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Christina K. Ullrich

  2. Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA

    Eric J. Roeland

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Kestenbaum, A., Howard, P., Abbott, Y. (2023). Multicultural and Spiritual Considerations. In: Ullrich, C.K., Roeland, E.J. (eds) Palliative Care in Hematologic Malignancies and Serious Blood Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38058-7_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38058-7_17

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-38057-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-38058-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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