Spirituality in Healthcare: Global Perspectives and Why They Matter

Spirituality is a component of healthcare that can have a significant impact on patients’ outcomes and perception of their situation. The integration of spirituality into healthcare is commonly seen as difficult, unnecessary, or irrelevant. As a result, many healthcare professionals neglect to incorporate this component of care into their practice. However, there is a rekindling interest in spirituality with increasing research identifying benefits of spiritual well-being. This paper will discuss the relationship between spirituality and health beliefs and outcomes. It will identify spiritual and religious beliefs from global perspectives including examples from Ghana, Uganda, and Iran and suggest methods to implement appropriate spiritual care in any culture