title: Programs of religious/spiritual support in hospitals - five "Whies" and five "Hows".
abstract: A contemporary orientation of the hospital experience model must encompass the clients' religious-spiritual dimension. The objective of this paper is to share a previous experience, highlighting at least five reasons hospitals should invest in this direction, and an equal number of steps required to achieve it. In the first part, the text discourses about five reasons to invest in religious-spiritual support programs: 1. Religious-spiritual wellbeing is related to better health; 2. Religious-spiritual appreciation is a standard for hospital accreditation; 3. To undo religious-spiritual misunderstandings that can affect treatment; 4. Patients demand a religious-spiritual outlook from the institution; and 5. Costs may be reduced with religious-spiritual support. In the second part, the text suggests five steps to implement religious-spiritual support programs: 1. Deep institutional involvement; 2. Formal staff training; 3. Infrastructure and resources; 4. Adjustment of institutional politics; and 5. Agreement with religious-spiritual leaders. The authors hope the information compiled here can inspire hospitals to adopt actions toward optimization of the healing experience.
authors.affiliation: Universidade de Santo Amaro, Rua Montesquieu 371, CEP 04116-190, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. msaad@uol.com.br.
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5624-7609
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saad
authors.affiliation: Centro Universitário São Camilo, Rua Montesquieu 371, CEP 04116-190, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Medeiros
mesh_terms: D002604:Chaplaincy Service, Hospital; D006808:Humanism; D006801:Humans; D010327:Pastoral Care; D016730:Program Development; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D029181:Spirituality
keywords: Chaplaincy hospital service; Humanism; Pastoral care; Religion and medicine; Spirituality