Religion in the context of clinical care presents both opportunity and dilemma. Consider Mary, a 39-year old woman diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and hospitalized in a psychiatric research unit. Mary's delusions and hallucinations, "the voices," were religiously themed. A devout Christian, she believed that she was "chosen" to receive messages from the saints, but her illness also brought the voices of demons accusing her of sin. I was Mary's nurse, assigned to her care, to supervise her activities and report on her condition at weekly patient conferences. I grew to know Mary as a deeply religious person who had always turned to faith during crises in her life. This time was no different. I found Mary slouched on the side of her bed. Her hands covered her ears. "The voices are screaming at me and each other!" Mary exclaimed. "Will you pray with me?"
Meeting the spiritual needs of patients is of deep concern to nurses as exemplified by the numerous articles addressing spiritual care published in Holistic Nursing Practice over the past 30 years. Yet, exploring the relationship between health, illness, and spiritual care specifically within the context of religion is not usually emphasized in nursing practice nor in nursing curricula. In the recently published book, Fast Facts about Religion for Nurses: Implications for Patient Care, 1 Taylor reminds us that 84% of the world population is affiliated with some religion whose function is to provide "transformative meaning and guide action" in times of health, illness, and death when nurses are often key care providers. Taylor also asserts that "... although it is unrealistic to expect nurses to become experts in comparative religions, they ought to have a minimal awareness of diverse religions to be able to ask a patient pertinent questions and plan religiously sensitive care."2 No matter the setting, initial health assessments should elicit information on religious orientation and preferred practices particularly those with implications for intervention and care given that religion creates and informs the context for spiritual care. Taylor's Fast Facts offers practice-oriented information about religions most often encountered by nurses in English-speaking countries.
I did pray with Mary. We knelt together by her beside for 20 minutes. She grew calmer and more focused. I was not surprised, given my knowledge of Mary's religious beliefs. I surmised that she was still hearing "voices" after praying, though just the comforting voices of the saints. Nurses who claim to be holistic caregivers can best offer appropriate spiritual care within the context of the patient's religion. And for that, Fast Facts is an important resource.
-Gloria F. Donnelly, PhD, RN, FAAN, FCPP
Editor in Chief
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