Beliefs About Spiritual Pain among Palliative Care Physicians and Liaison Psychiatrists: A Nationwide Questionnaire Survey

Akemi Shirado Naito; Tatsuya Morita; Keiko Tamura; Kiyofumi Oya; Yoshinobu Matsuda; Keita Tagami; Hideyuki Kashiwagi; Hiroyuki Otani

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Beliefs About Spiritual Pain among Palliative Care Physicians and Liaison Psychiatrists: A Nationwide Questionnaire Survey

VernacularTitle:スピリチュアルペインに関する緩和ケア医と精神科医の認識に関する全国調査
Author: Akemi Shirado NAITO ¹ ; Tatsuya MORITA ² ; Keiko TAMURA ³ ; Kiyofumi OYA ⁴ ; Yoshinobu MATSUDA ⁵ ; Keita TAGAMI ⁶ ; Hideyuki KASHIWAGI ⁴ ; Hiroyuki OTANI ⁷
Author Information

1. Department of Palliative Care, Miyazaki Medical Association Hospital
2. Palliative and Supportive Care Division, Seirei Mikatahara Hospital
3. Department of Palliative Nursing · Gerontological Nursing, Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine Kyoto University
4. Department of Palliative Care, Iizuka Hospital
5. Department of Psychosomatic Internal Medicine, National Hospital Organization Kinki-Chuo Chest Medical Center
6. Department of Palliative Medicine, Tohoku University of Medicine
7. Department of Hospice Care, St. Mary’s Hospital
Keywords: spiritual pain; definition; palliative care physician; liaison psychiatrists
From:Palliative Care Research 2021;16(2):115-122
CountryJapan
Language:Japanese
Abstract: Objectives: Spiritual pain is not formally defined. The aim of this study was to clarify the beliefs about spiritual pain among Japanese palliative care physicians and liaison psychiatrists and to compare their beliefs. Methods: A nationwide questionnaire survey was conducted by mail August, 2019 on certified palliative care physicians and liaison psychiatrists. We asked 9 questions about spiritual pain (i.e. current status, definition, and the delivery of care) using a 5-Likert scale. Result: 387 palliative care physicians (response rate, 53%) and 374 psychiatrists (45%) responded. 72% (76% of the palliative care physicians/69% of the psychiatrists) reported that spiritual pain was distinct from depression, but 69% (66/71) reported that it was not defined adequately; and 59% (59/60) perceived the risks of using the words ambiguously. Only 43% (40/47) recommended the universal definition of spiritual pain, and opinions about how spiritual pain should be defined (i.e, higher being, meaning/value, or specific terms) differed among physicians. Perception about spiritual pain of the physicians were significantly associated with their religion, while beliefs about spiritual pain were essentially similar between palliative care physicians and psychiatrists. Conclusion: Although physicians regarded the definition of spiritual pain as being inadequate, the opinions about preferable definition differed among physicians. Discussion about the value of developing a consensus of spiritual pain is needed.