Chapter 2 : Spirituality in the Hea

Chapter 2 : Spirituality in the Healthcare ContextThere is extensive research on spirituality in the healthcare literature. It centers on understanding and caring for a person in illness and has been greatly influenced by psychology. In Hong Kong, nurses and chaplains are the two kinds of personnel who provide spiritual care in the hospitals. Their understanding of spirituality and of care for a person are likely to have been implicitly or explicitly influenced by the psychological literature. I find that the term spirituality in the healthcare literature is diffuse, drawing on various different notions, which results in a confused understanding. It is difficult to come to a consensus about definition. The term is so vague that some people would rather talk in terms of total patient care, rather than separate out spirituality. I would argue, however, that spirituality is very important on its own. The vagueness of the term is its strength and value, as well as its difficulty.