Ethics Article: Patient Rights to Spiritual Care - Faith Regional Health Services

Patient Rights to Spiritual Care

This policy applies the mission and values of Faith Regional Health Services to the spiritual care needs and practices of its patients, the patient’s family and others, who have a significant personal relationship with the patient. This policy also outlines general guidelines to ensure and safeguard patient confidentiality, and to ensure the dignity of patients, family and those in significant relationship to the patient by respecting and honoring their spiritual and cultural values. It applies to all employees of Faith Regional Health Services.

All patients of Faith Regional Health Services have a right to confidentiality and spiritual care.

All inpatients will be given the opportunity to state their religious preference upon admission.
All inpatients will be asked if they would like Faith Regional Health Services to notify their personal clergy about their hospitalization.
Permission to notify personal clergy must be given by the patient or, when the patient is a minor or cannot communicate his/her personal wishes, by the patient’s legal guardian.
Each patient has the right to accept or refuse spiritual care services from personal clergy and/or the Faith Regional Health Services Spiritual Care Department staff.

Patients requesting specific spiritual services or practices will be accommodated within the capabilities of Faith Regional Health Services.

Requests for specific spiritual services or practices by a patient or patient’s legal guardian will be honored whenever possible or appropriate.
Specific spiritual practices that may be requested by patients may include, but may not be limited to the following:
- Visitation by personal clergy.
- Visitation by Faith Regional Health Services Spiritual Care staff.
- Communion.
- Baptism.
- Sacrament of Reconciliation (private confession).
- Anointing with oil/Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.
- Prayers and/or blessings for illness or near the time of death.
- Specific foods or food prepared in a specific way.
- Request for religious objects.
Hospital staff may ask patients or patients family members/significant others if a spiritual care referral to personal clergy or Spiritual Care Department staff would be helpful to them, particularly at times of medical crisis, death or difficulty coping with a hospitalization.
All requests for spiritual care services or practices should be referred to the Spiritual Care Department or the Nursing Supervisor (who will contact Spiritual Care staff).
Patient requests for spiritual care services or practices should be charted in the patient’s medical record. Spiritual Care Department staff members will be responsible for charting outcomes of each request.

Patient requests for spiritual care services or practices should be charted in the patient’s medical record. Spiritual Care Department staff members will be responsible for charting outcomes of each request.

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