From American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine
Spiritual care is an important domain of palliative care programs across the country and in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System specifically. This qualitative study provides insights into spirituality, spiritual needs, and spiritual care in a VA palliative care setting from the perspectives of Veterans and their families. Many of the participants in this study defined spirituality as the personal quest for meaning of life. Veterans in this study recognized the impact of the military experience on spirituality, consistent with research on chaplains providing spiritual care in the VA. The findings of this study can be used to develop a spiritual need and spiritual care scale to be used for Veterans and for other patients who have a terminal illness and their families. Such a scale could then be used as an instrument to study spiritual needs, spiritual care, outcomes of care which can ultimately help to improve quality of care.
