The Importance of Spirituality in Healthcare

Healthcare does not just mean taking care of one’s physical or mental health. It goes much beyond that. There is and has to be a spiritual quotient attached to it which takes care of one’s health and sanity.


Healthcare often conjures images of patients, illnesses, medicines, hospitals etc. in our minds. These terms are generally associated with pain and suffering. Dealing with such emotions often demands tremendous energy and strength. Since medicine is a more sensitive field compared to other professions, spirituality plays a very important role here. In fact, the relationship between spirituality and medicine is taken pretty seriously in recent years. For all those associated with healthcare - whether you offer healthcare services (doctors, nurses and paramedical staff) or patients or their families, questions can arise regarding the meaning and purpose of life. Hence, the Chronic and terminal illnesses have been closely associated with spirituality.

Studies suggest that there is a positive correlation between a patient's spirituality and health outcomes, and that they would like physicians to consider these factors in their medical care. Physicians on their part have been attempting to balance their care by exploring medicine's more spiritual roots in recent years. The word “spirituality” flows from the Latin term “spiritus”, which means “breath” – referring to the breath of life. Spiritual care involves serving the whole person i.e. the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual. Even the Vedic traditions of India, emphasize equilibrium of body, mind, and spirit. (MORE)

Source: Healthcare Digital