The histories of spirituality and medicine are deep and linked. The hospitality and care offered by monks contributed to the development of hospitals in the West. Since then, several hospitals have been established by religious organizations, and religious hospitals and medical missions continue to offer a significant portion of the world's healthcare. For many people all throughout the world, religious and spiritual life and community provide an essential health resource. Additionally, a lot of people's spiritual and religious convictions influence their medical decisions.

But we have also observed a growing rift between spirituality and medicine during the past century. Certain facets of medical care have put the sickness and technology before the patient. Even in situations where people are nearing the end of their lives, spiritual care is usually lacking in therapeutic settings. The majority of clinicians claim to have had no training in offering spiritual treatment. In comparison to most of the past, the situation in the West now is considerably different.

A number of us from the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University, along with associates from the Initiative on Health, Religion, and Spirituality and other organizations, have been conducting a thorough systematic review of the literature on spirituality in health and illness for the past three years. We are hopeful that this research, which was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, will aid in the reconciliation of spirituality and medicine.

Our Analytical Review

Our systematic evaluation made an effort to examine all published material between January 2000 and April 2022 that discussed spirituality and life outcomes as well as spirituality and serious illness. In total, 6,485 abstracts focused on health outcomes, whereas 8,946 abstracts examined serious illness. To focus on the most rigorous evidence, strict criteria for research inclusion were adopted. These criteria included large sample sizes, validated measurements, and, for health outcomes, a longitudinal design.

A variety of prospective evidence statements were created by synthesizing and summarizing the literature. To review the individual studies and summaries, assess the strength of the evidence supporting the various summaries and statements, and propose and then quantitatively assess the support for various potential implications of the research and evidence, we next assembled a diverse panel of 27 experts.

Spirituality

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Results and Proof

The expert consensus panel came to the following conclusions on serious diseases based on a thorough review of the literature and appraisal of the evidence

  • Spirituality is important for most patients.
  • Spiritual needs are common.
  • Spiritual care is frequently desired by patients.
  • Spiritual needs are infrequently addressed in medical care.
  • Spirituality can play a role in medical decision-making.
  • Spiritual care is infrequent in medical care.
  • Unaddressed spiritual needs are associated with poorer patient quality of life.
  • Provision of spiritual care is associated with better patient end-of-life outcomes.

The panel further determined that there was substantial evidence that participation in religious activities was linked to better mental health, higher quality of life, fewer subsequent depressive symptoms, lower mortality risk, and less frequent suicidal behaviour.


Meta-analyses of longitudinal research on the relationships between religious service attendance and health found that people who frequently attended religious services had a 27% lower risk of dying in follow-up and a 33% lower chance of later developing depression. Thus, it seemed that spirituality or spiritual group was significant for both health and illness.

Practical Consequences

The expert consensus panel also suggested and assessed the empirical evidence for several prospective research implications. The top three tips for serious illness were as follows


  • Incorporate spiritual care into the medical care of patients.
  • Include spiritual care training for medical students, clinicians, and others on medical teams.
  • Ensure access to chaplains for those faced with serious illness.
  • The three top-ranked recommendations for health outcomes were
  • Have clinicians recognize and consider the beneficial associations between religious/spiritual community and health in providing person-centred care.
  • Increase awareness of public health professionals of the evidence on the protective health associations with religious/spiritual community participation.
  • Recognize spirituality as a social factor associated with health.

Clinicians could ask patients about their spiritual beliefs by asking them questions like, "Is spirituality or faith essential to you in thinking about your health and illness?" on a practical level. Do you have someone you can talk to regarding spiritual or religious issues, or would you like to? Even if patients and professionals hold different religious convictions, such inquiries can be done and referrals can be made as necessary. Such referrals would be facilitated by including chaplains on medical care teams more regularly, which would also help meet patient needs and patient desires to have these issues addressed.

We have previously explored the potential community health implications of such research, even though the current paper concentrated on the consequences for clinical care. Promoting community involvement, whether it be religious or secular, may be an effective strategy for enhancing population health. In the wake of the epidemic, such encouragement might also aid in community reconstruction.

Even in therapeutic settings, those who already strongly identify with a particular religious tradition may be encouraged to participate in religious or spiritual communities, and those who do not identify with a particular religion may be encouraged to participate in other types of communities. Referrals to qualified experts who can offer care and support could be arranged for people who have had prior bad experiences in religious communities. Finding these experiences could be made easier by taking a spiritual history. These easy, doable actions could aid in reintegrating religion and medicine.



Reintegrating Medicine and Spirituality

When suffering from a serious disease, many, if not most, people seek spiritual therapy. Having a strong spiritual community can be a vital step in advancing your health. It is not necessary to keep medicine and spirituality separate. Reintegrating spirituality and medicine could be accomplished through practical measures like gathering spiritual histories, offering training in spiritual care, and raising public awareness of the community as a resource for health.


True person-centred care must pay attention to these issues because spiritual care is both desirable and a valuable resource. Medical practice and spirituality must be reintegrated to provide really person-centred treatment.