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The essence of spiritual care: a phenomenological enquiry

Hospital Chaplain, The Doncaster Royal and Montagu Hospitals NHS Trust, Armthorpe Road, Doncaster, Academic Palliative Medicine Unit, University of Sheffield, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield

This study used a phenomenological approach, founded on the Husserlian tradition, to discover the spiritual essence of palliative care in the lived experience of stakeholders. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 16 participants who held a variety of roles linked to palliative care, and were of different religions and none. Amongst these participants, spiritual care is based on the assumption that all people are spiritual beings. It recognizes the relationship between illness and the spiritual domain and acknowledges the possibility of a search for meaning in the big questions of life and death. It responds to religious and humanistic needs by meeting both the requirements of faith and the desire for another human being to ‘be there’. Fundamentally, spiritual care seeks to affirm the value of each and every person based on nonjudgemental love.

Key Words: chaplaincy • NUD*IST • phenomenology • spiritual care • spirituality

Palliative Medicine, Vol. 16, No. 2, 125-132 (2002)
DOI: 10.1191/0269216302pm518oa


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