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Introduction: In the face of evolving public health challenges, including emerging diseases, pervasive health disparities, and escalating environmental threats, the integration of learning health system (LHS) principles emerges as a vital strategy for enhancing the adaptability and efficacy of public health initiatives. Traditional approaches within these systems often overlook the potential to deeply involve community‐based organizations (CBO) that are led and staffed by the communities they serve as equal and essential partners in the public health discourse. Methods: This commentary proposes a suite of nine community‐led transformation (CLT) principles aimed at reimagining LHS frameworks to authentically incorporate CBOs at their core. Drawing on the experiences from initiatives supporting Afghan refugees, we illustrate the application of these principles through two detailed case studies. Results: These examples demonstrate the CLT principles in action and spotlight the enhanced cultural competency, effectiveness, and equitable power distribution that arise from such partnerships. Centering small to mid‐sized CBOs including ethnic‐led and/or faith based within LHS structures enables the system to access invaluable cultural insights, strengthen community bonds, and empower those communities to spearhead their transformative journey toward sustainable health, equity, and well‐being improvements. Conclusion: The CLT principles herald a shift toward a more inclusive and co‐led public health paradigm by offering a blueprint for stakeholders eager to forge strong, trust‐based coalitions and cocreate initiatives with community leaders including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) leaders from ethnic‐led and/or faith‐based CBOs. By embracing these principles, public health systems can evolve into truly inclusive, responsive, and sustainable entities poised to advance health equity for all community members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faith community nursing often is anchored in a community through local networks that support the development of both the ministry and the faith community nurse. Such local networks are established and sustained through the leadership of faith community nurses (FCNs). A research study interviewed nurses recognized as foundational to the development of FCNs in the United States from 1984 to 2000. The Waterwheel Model of Spiritual Leadership was used as a construct for interviewing 24 FCN leaders discovered through Delphi methodology. An adaptation of Colazzi’s method of qualitative analysis was used to analyze data collected in videotaped format. Three predominant themes emerged that may be instrumental to developing future FCN leaders and growth of this specialty nursing practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence is growing to support mind-body practices (e.g. yoga) as a therapeutic intervention for many health conditions. In the UK, yoga is promoted as a social prescription asset by the National Health Service (NHS), yet the factors influencing its implementation are poorly understood. This study explored the attitudes, knowledge and understanding of mind-body practices as a social prescribing asset amongst health science populations within higher education. Twenty-six health science staff and students completed an online questionnaire. Data analysis used a mixed-methods approach, employing thematic analysis for qualitative data and calculating the net promoter score (NPS) to assess participants’ inclination to recommend mind-body practices as a social prescribing asset. Nineteen participants (73%) were aware of the term ‘social prescription’ and understood it to be a non-clinical, community-based alternative to medication. Whilst participants were aware of the physical benefits of mind-body practices, particularly yoga, they lacked awareness of the social, emotional, and spiritual benefits. Although 42% of participants would recommend mind-body practices as a social prescribing asset (NPS of 15), the opposite was true for yoga (NPS of −15), potentially due to poor knowledge or personal engagement with yoga. This study underlines the importance of increasing understanding and promoting yoga as an adjuvant mind-body practice to achieve social, emotional, and spiritual benefits. Implementing educational strategies to increase knowledge of mind-body practices and yoga, with a focus on social prescribing practice, may help to improve future referral pathways in practice in line with the NHS long term plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine associations between sociodemographic variables, social determinants of health (SDOHs) and diabetes using health needs assessment data. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Faith-based communities in the Mid-South U.S. Sample: Of the 378 churches, 92 participated in the study (24% response rate); N = 828 church leaders and members completed the survey. Measure: The Mid-South Congregational Health Survey assessed perceived health-related needs of congregations and the communities they serve. Analysis: Generalized linear mixed modeling examined the associations between sociodemographic variables (age, sex, race/ethnicity, educational level), SDOHs (affordable healthcare, healthy food, employment), and diabetes. Results: Individuals with less education had lower odds of reporting all SDOHs as health needs compared to individuals with more education (ORrange =.59-.63). Men had lower odds of reporting diabetes as a health need or concern compared to women (OR =.70; 95% CI =.50,.97). African Americans had greater odds of reporting diabetes as a health need compared to individuals in the 'Other' race/ethnicity category (OR = 3.91; 95% CI = 2.20, 6.94). Individuals who reported affordable healthcare (OR = 2.54; 95% CI = 1.73, 3.72), healthy food (OR = 2.24; 95% CI = 1.55, 3.24), and employment (OR = 3.33; 95% CI = 2.29, 4.84) as health needs had greater odds of reporting diabetes as a health need compared to those who did not report these SDOHs as needs. Conclusions: Future studies should evaluate strategies to merge healthcare and faith-based organizations' efforts to address SDOHs impacting diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychospiritual care has taken many forms and approaches. In the clinical setting, the meaning, variations, and inconsistencies in the delivery of psychospiritual and its related terms persist. The purpose of the study is to identify the meaning and attributes of psychospiritual care and enhance collaborative practice by presenting a concept analysis. This review used Walker and Avant's eight-step approach to concept analysis. Psychospiritual is a broad, dynamic, and unique concept that integrates psychological and spiritual methods. In this analysis, the defining attributes of psychospiritual care are intuitive self-awareness, therapeutic use of psychological and spiritual perspective, and cultivation of psychological and spiritual environment. Providing psychospiritual care promotes positive consequences, such as therapeutic effects for patients and promoting psychospiritual awareness among psychospiritual interventionists. A comprehensive definition of psychospiritual care has been developed. The findings contribute to science by creating a platform for developing practice standards, research, and theory. Implementing psychospiritual care may improve overall occupational health and well-being, thereby improving patient care delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Stroke Organization (WSO)-Lancet Neurology Commission on Stroke has presented recommendations to reduce the burden of stroke across four areas: surveillance, prevention, acute care, and rehabilitation. The report predicts a significant increase in stroke deaths and disability by 2050. The experts emphasize the importance of global and local collaboration, patient engagement, and funding for prevention and healthcare in low-income countries. They also highlight the role of surveillance data in raising awareness and taking action. The document discusses interventions such as lifestyle modification, risk factor monitoring, and the use of digital technology in rehabilitation. It emphasizes the need for collaboration, capacity building, and universal health coverage to address gaps in stroke care services. The authors stress the urgency of implementing evidence-based recommendations to reduce the global burden of stroke. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: A physician in a chronic pain treatment clinic must recognize that the relationship between pain and spirituality is bidirectional. Chronic pain can decrease the level of spiritual well-being, and low spiritual well-being can also significantly intensify the perception of pain and worsen coping with it. Currently, for many scientific and medical communities, it is evident that spiritual care is an indispensable element of holistic medicine. Objective: The authors developed a non-religious spiritual care model provided by a physician at a chronic pain treatment clinic from May 2022 to February 2024. Method: The study utilized a mixed-method approach to conduct the research. The analysis consisted of twelve patients. A FACIT-Sp-12 questionnaire evaluated the individual's spiritual well-being before the intervention. The intervention involved asking patients open-ended questions about their life history, experiences, and spiritual beliefs and the physician's use of active listening and empathetic responses to what patients shared (relationship-building activities). The intervention aimed to assist patients in accepting the limitations of an incurable chronic disease, affirming the value of their lives, enhancing inner harmony, and increasing their sense of belonging to something greater. After the intervention, a re-assessment of the patient's spiritual well-being was conducted using the FACIT-Sp-12 questionnaire. Researchers collected qualitative data through a confidential survey that included the following instructions: "Please express an anonymous opinion on how you perceive the spiritual care provided by the physician". Results: There was an increase in spiritual well-being, assessed using the FACIT-Sp-12 scale, in 9 out of 12 patients. The median, as well as the average, level of spiritual well-being increased in a statistically significant way after the intervention (p < 0.05). This was primarily due to the higher value of the peace subscale of the questionnaire. Qualitative analysis revealed benefits reported by patients (personal development, gratitude, satisfaction, support, hope) resulting from physician's actions. Conclusions: Both qualitative and quantitative data showed that establishing a relationship with the doctor improves the spiritual well-being of patients. Therefore, this model can be recommended for physicians in chronic pain treatment clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Women who are migrants experience discrimination and face major risks, including sexual exploitation, trafficking, and violence, which affect their health and well-being. This study explored critical health incidents experienced by immigrant Thai women in marriage migration. Methods: A qualitative explorative approach with in-depth interviews was used. Forty immigrant Thai women who currently or previously had a Swedish spouse were recruited for the study. An inductive critical incident technique was used to collect and analyze the data as the first step. In a second deductive step, the Newman system model was used to categorize health dilemmas. Results: The women reported 438 critical health incidents in five main areas. Psychological health dilemmas included emotional abuse, feeling overwhelmed due to family responsibilities and the stress of leaving family behind. Sociocultural health dilemmas included transnational family duties or not performing family duties. Physiological health dilemmas included experiencing physical violence and environmental, domestic or work accidents. Developmental health dilemmas included failing health, difficulties upholding the duties expected of a spouse in the target culture and caring for an elderly husband. Spiritual health dilemmas included critical incidents in which the women perceived themselves to have failed in their hopes and duties as a wife, which intensified their dependence on faith, particularly the Buddhist concept of karma. Conclusion: Professionals in health and welfare practices in Thailand together with professionals in Western countries who work with women in marriage migration situations need to recognize the psychological, sociocultural, physiological, developmental, and spiritual health dilemmas experienced by these women. Furthermore, civil organizations that meet Thai women in foreign countries, such as Buddhist cultural associations, would benefit from the multicultural knowledge revealed by the present study. This knowledge can facilitate healthcare and welfare support for women in marriage migration situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spirituality is an important component of social and cultural identity that influences health-related beliefs, decision-making, and coping behaviors. Despite the importance of addressing spirituality in healthcare, research about its impact is limited, especially in the primary care setting. Objective: This study aimed to explore patients' and chaplains' experiences of receiving or providing spiritual care in the primary care setting. Methods: We conducted an in-depth interview qualitative research study. Participants included patient informants, a chaplain, and chaplains-in-training who participated in a spiritual care program at a primary care clinic. Interviews were transcribed and coded. Conventional qualitative research content analysis was performed. Results: Eleven interviews were conducted — 7 with patient informants, 1 with a chaplain, and 3 with chaplains-in-training. Informants reported that in their experience spiritual care increased trust in their provider, made them feel safe to ask or share anything, improved their satisfaction with care, helped sustain healthy behavior change, and improved coping with chronic illness. Participants specifically attributed these positive experiences to chaplains' ability to respect and attend to patients' spirituality, create a safe space, help patients see the connection between their spirituality and health, and help patients tap into their own spirituality as a healthy means of coping. Conclusions: Spiritual care, when integrated into the primary care setting, has the potential, according to the report of our informants, to help achieve important health-related objectives, such as increased trust in their providers, sustained healthy behavior change, and happiness in spite of chronic illness. Now, more than ever, when our society is hurting from mistrust of our profession secondary to disinformation and discrimination, spiritual care has an important role to play in our efforts to gain our patients' trust so that we can support their healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On behalf of the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology, we are pleased to present the Abstracts from the 2024 Annual Conference, titled "Building Hope: Integrating Sustainable, Innovative and Accessible Care in Psychosocial Oncology". The Conference was held in Calgary from 6 June 2024 to 7 June 2024. This conference brought together key stakeholders including multidisciplinary professionals from nursing, psychology, psychiatry, social work, spiritual care, nutrition, medicine, rehabilitation medicine, occupational health and radiation therapy for both adult and pediatric populations. Participants included clinicians, researchers, educators in cancer care, community-based organizations and patient representatives. Patients, caregivers and family members presented abstracts that speak to their role in managing cancer experiences and care. Over one hundred (150) abstracts were selected for presentation as symposia, 20 min oral presentations, 10 min oral presentations, 90 min workshops and poster presentations. We congratulate all the presenters on their research work and contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: The burden of care after a stroke is gaining recognition as a significant healthcare issue. Factors like religion and spirituality, encompassing religious coping and spiritual health, prove to be influential in anticipating the challenges faced by caregivers. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between care burden, spiritual health, and religious coping among caregivers of stroke patients. Methods: This cross‐sectional research was conducted with the participation of 129 caregivers of stroke patients. The data was collected using the Ellison and Paloutzian spiritual well‐being instruments, Pargament Religious Coping (RCOPE) brief version, and the Zarit burden interview (ZBI). Through a census, participants were recruited for the investigation. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (multivariate linear regression analysis). Results: The study results indicate a strong and statistically significant relationship between the burden of caring and spiritual health (p < 0.001, β = 0.33). Furthermore, specific variables were identified as indicators of an increased burden of care, including positive religious coping (p = 0.04, β = 0.63), the familial relationship between the caregiver and patient, specifically as a child (p = 0.001, β = 29.26), and a sister (p < 0.001, β = 35.93). Conclusion: It is advisable to consider adopting and implementing appropriate support measures for coping strategies rooted in religion and spirituality. So, it is recommended to enhance the provision of comprehensive support, including psychological and religious interventions. This can be achieved through the collaborative efforts of support groups comprising psychiatric nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, and religious experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In low and middle-income countries like Ghana, private providers, particularly the grouping of faith-based non-profit health providers networked by the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), play a crucial role in maintaining service continuity during health worker strikes. Poor engagement with the private sector during such strikes could compromise care quality and impose financial hardships on populations, especially the impoverished. This study delves into the engagement between CHAG and the Government of Ghana (GoG) during health worker strikes from 2010 to 2016, employing a qualitative descriptive and exploratory case study approach. By analysing evidence from peer-reviewed literature, media archives, grey literature and interview transcripts from a related study using a qualitative thematic analysis approach, this study identifies health worker strikes as a persistent chronic stressor in Ghana. Findings highlight some system-level interactions between CHAG and GoG, fostering adaptive and absorptive resilience strategies, influenced by CHAG's non-striking ethos, unique secondment policy between the two actors and the presence of a National Health Insurance System. However, limited support from the government to CHAG member facilities during strikes and systemic challenges with the National Health Insurance System pose threats to CHAG's ability to provide quality, affordable care. This study underscores private providers' pivotal role in enhancing health system resilience during strikes in Ghana, advocating for proactive governmental partnerships with private providers and joint efforts to address human-resource-related challenges ahead of strikes. It also recommends further research to devise and evaluate effective strategies for nations to respond to strikes, ensuring preparedness and sustained quality healthcare delivery during such crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in sub-Saharan Africa face a disproportionately higher HIV/AIDS burden despite the global decline in incidence. Existing interventions often fail to adequately address their unique social, economic, and cultural challenges, limiting access to essential HIV/AIDS services, including HIV testing. Emerging evidence indicates that HIV self-testing, a user-friendly and confidential method, enhances HIV diagnosis and linkage to care by targeting these barriers. This study aims to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary impact of a peer-delivered, community-health worker (CHW)-facilitated HIV self-testing intervention for AGYW in Northern Uganda. Methods: This mixed-methods quasi-experimental implementation science study will employ a three-fold approach. Firstly, we will conduct baseline formative qualitative research with 50 AGYW, 50 parents/partners to AGYW, 30 CHWs, 15 community leaders, and the district health office to inform the design of a peer-delivered CHW-facilitated HIV self-testing intervention tailored to AGYW's needs in Northern Uganda. Secondly, we will implement a mixed-methods pilot study to assess the intervention's feasibility and acceptability, involving 415 AGYW, 30 AGYW peer leaders, and 10 CHWs in selected parishes and villages in Omoro district, Northern Uganda. Lastly, we will evaluate the implementation outcomes and preliminary impact of the intervention on HIV self-testing rates and linkage to care by collecting and analyzing quantitative data pre- and post-intervention, laying the groundwork for a future robust randomized controlled trial. Discussion: Our intervention combines CHWs and peer-led strategies to address the unique challenges of AGYW in Northern Uganda, leveraging community resilience and peer influence. Successful completion of this project will provide a scalable model to be evaluated in a randomized trial and replicated in similar contexts. Trial registration number: PACTR202404851907736. Registered with the Pan-African Clinical Trials Registry on April 22, 2024. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spiritual well-being has been shown to boost resistance to mental health crises in cancer patients during the diagnosis and treatment process, but there is a paucity of studies about spirituality in cancer patients, which may make it difficult for healthcare clinicians to assess spirituality and provide spiritual care. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the level of spiritual well-being and associated factors among cancer patients in HUCSH Oncology Center in 2022. Methods and materials: An institution-based cross-sectional study was done from May 30 to June 30, 2022 among 267 cancer patients, and the respondents were selected by a simple random sampling technique. Data was collected by using standardized interviewer-administered questionnaires (FACIT sp12). Data was entered using Epi data version 4.6, and analysis was carried out by using Statistical Package for Social Science version 25. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was conducted to determine the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The strength of association was tested by using p-value at 95% CI. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of Hawassa University College of Medicine and Health Science. During data collection, the purpose of the study was clearly explained to the patients, and consent was obtained. Result: A total of 267 cancer patients were included in the study. There was 100% response rate. Majority of the patients (80.5%) were in a poor spiritual well-being state. Mental distress (AOR = 0.246; 95% CI: 0.114–0.531) and religious education (AOR = 1.288; 95% CI: 1.438–9.142) were factors significantly associated with spiritual well-being among cancer patients. Conclusion and recommendation: This study showed that more than twothirds of patients had poor spiritual well-being. Mental distress and religious education were factors associated with spiritual well-being. Attention should be given by nurses of the center for spiritual well-being assessment in clinical practices favoring holistic care in the center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the biblical basis for incorporating embodied spiritual practices in counseling and personal growth. It emphasizes that our bodies are an essential part of our spiritual lives and that growing in Christ involves our whole being. The article explores various embodied practices prescribed in the Old Testament and highlights the importance of our bodies in worship. It also discusses the sacraments in the New Testament and the practice of fasting as spiritual disciplines. The article encourages a holistic approach to spirituality that includes attentiveness to our bodies in both personal and corporate worship. [Extracted from the article]

Background: The concept of "total pain" plays an important role in palliative care; it means that pain is not solely experienced on a physical level, but also within a psychological, social and spiritual dimension. Understanding what spirituality entails, however, is a challenge for health care professionals, as is screening for the spiritual needs of patients. Objective: This is a novel, interprofessional approach in teaching undergraduate medical students about spiritual care in the format of a seminar. The aim of this study is to assess if an increase in knowledge about spiritual care in the clinical context is achievable with this format. Methods: In a mandatory seminar within the palliative care curriculum at our university, both a physician and a hospital chaplain teach strategies in symptom control from different perspectives (somatic domain – spiritual domain). For evaluation purposes of the content taught on the spiritual domain, we conducted a questionnaire consisting of two parts: specific outcome evaluation making use of the comparative self-assessment (CSA) gain and overall perception of the seminar using Likert scale. Results: In total, 52 students participated. Regarding specific outcome evaluation, the greatest gain was achieved in the ability to define total pain (84.8%) and in realizing its relevance in clinical settings (77.4%). The lowest, but still fairly high improvement was achieved in the ability to identify patients who might benefit from spiritual counselling (60.9%). The learning benefits were all significant as confirmed by confidence intervals. Overall, students were satisfied with the structure of the seminar. The content was delivered clearly and comprehensibly reaching a mean score of 4.3 on Likert scale (4 = agree). The content was perceived as overall relevant to the later work in medicine (mean 4.3). Most students do not opt for a seminar solely revolving around spiritual care (mean 2.6). Conclusions: We conclude that implementing spiritual care education following an interprofessional approach into existing medical curricula, e.g. palliative medicine, is feasible and well perceived among medical students. Students do not wish for a seminar which solely revolves around spiritual care but prefer a close link to clinical practice and strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this issue of Christian Bioethics, we invite chaplains and theologians to examine the role of the hospital chaplain in the contemporary institutional setting of the hospital. The simplicity of the chaplain's role is often taken for granted; yet, this role is actually multivalent, with duties and loyalties pulling from many different sides. Chaplains are people of faith, ordained and/or endorsed ministers, and pastoral care professionals; they are at once beholden to God, to their own faith expression, and to their sense of vocation, to the hospital, and to the patient. With various loyalties and responsibilities in mind, we must ask the question, "To whom is the chaplain beholden?" The responses in this issue critically and constructively examine this question, providing theological resources that call chaplaincy away from the dominant modes of medicine. Whether through a primary loyalty to their calling, to God, to Divine presence, or to the spiritual formation of the patient, the authors in this special issue aim to help chaplains find theological resources to faithfully withstand the tensions they face in modern medical institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Nurses played an important role in nursing services to infected patients in the covid-19 pandemic and considering the unknown nature of the virus and the shock of the pandemic, its psychological aspects have been less investigated. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate effect of spiritual health on the quality of nursing care for patients with covid-19. Methods The present study was done in a cross-sectional-analytical method in the Covid departments of Peymaniye Hospital in Jahrom city in 2021. Sampling was done by census method among the nurses working in the care departments of patients with covid-19. If any nurse suffered from any psychological disorder(s) or didn't fill in the questionnaire completely, she was classified as exclusion criteria. Demographic form, spiritual health and quality of nursing care questionnaires (QUALPAC= Quality Patient Care Scale) were used to collect necessary data and the findings were analyzed by SPSS version 21. Results The spiritual health score average of the employed nurses was 92.68±15.98. Based on the leveling of the questionnaire, the level of spiritual health of the majority of nurses was at a mean level (60.8%). Also, the findings of the Spearman test indicated that there is a significant relation between spiritual health and the quality of nursing care (r=0.44, P<0.0001). Conclusion Considering the relation between spiritual health and the quality of nursing care, it is recommended that spiritual health services be integrated in the provision of general treatment and care in all hospitals of the country and personnel training should be taken into consideration, too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monolithic misrepresentation of Asian American (AsAm) populations has maintained assumptions that AsAm people are not burdened by health disparities and social and economic inequities. However, the story is more nuanced. We critically review AsAm health research to present knowledge of AsAm health profiles from the past two decades and present findings and opportunities across three topical domains: (a) general descriptive knowledge, (b) factors affecting health care uptake, and (c) effective interventions. Much of the literature emphasized underutilization of health care services; low knowledge and awareness among AsAms about health-related risk factors, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment; inadequate efforts by health systems to improve language access, provider–patient communication, and trust; and the critical roles of community- and faith-based organizations and leaders in health promotion initiatives. Future opportunities for AsAm health research will require adoption of and significant investment in community-engaged research infrastructure to increase representation, funding, and research innovation for AsAm communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Spiritual care is increasingly acknowledged as part of a holistic approach in medicine. Aim of the research: Establish the level of quality of life, spirituality, and psychological well-being in elderly patients hospitalised for heart failure depending on their gender and NYHA class and the analysis of factors determining spirituality in this group of patients. Material and methods: A cross sectional study was conducted. A total of 211 patients with heart failure were surveyed. The Self-Description Questionnaire by Heszen-Niejodek, The Polish version of World Health Organisation Quality of Life Instrument Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF), The Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire, and the Psychological Well-being Scale were used. Results: The respondents with heart failure reported high values of general spirituality and were moderately religious and ethically sensitive. A higher level of spirituality means higher quality of life in such domains as general quality of life perception, physical, psychological, social, and environmental. Being male and of higher class of heart failure worsened the quality of life in most domains. The results of multiple regression indicated that the worse the condition of the disease, the more parameters of QoL affected spirituality and its aspects. Conclusions: Planning any steps aimed at providing spiritual support in patients with heart failure should be dependent upon their gender and NYHA classification. Improving the quality of life of patients with heart failure may be achieved through ensuring spiritual support from medical staff. It would be beneficial to introduce some principles of providing spiritual care into medical staff educational programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing spiritual care is paramount to patient-centered care. Despite the growing body of data and its recognized importance in palliative care, spiritual care continues to be the least advanced and most overlooked aspect. This study aims to explore the perceptions and experiences of spiritual care from the perspective of PC professionals and identify their strategies to address spiritual care issues. Data were collected through semi-structured personal interviews and managed using WebQDA software (Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal). All data were analyzed using thematic content analysis, as recommended by Clark and Braun. The study included 15 palliative care professionals with a mean age of 38.51 [SD = 5.71] years. Most participants identified as lacking specific training in spiritual care. Thematic analysis spawned three main themes: (1) spiritual care as key to palliative care, (2) floating between "shadows" and "light" in providing spiritual care, and (3) strategies for competent and spiritual-centered care. Spiritual care was considered challenging by its very nature and given the individual, relational, and organizational constraints lived by professionals working in palliative care. With support from healthcare institutions, spiritual care can and should become a defining feature of the type, nature, and quality of palliative care provision. Care providers should be sensitive to spiritual needs and highly skilled and capable of an in-the-moment approach to respond to these needs. Further research on educating and training in spiritual care competence is a priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiritual care is an essential domain of pediatric palliative care. The current mainland China faces a lack of national guidance and a shortage of specialized personnel to provide spiritual care in a traditional developing country. To identify spiritual care in pediatric palliative care services in mainland China from the perspective of healthcare professionals. A qualitative descriptive interview study was conducted individually with 27 participants: 14 physicians, seven nurses, and six social workers. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Participants described that the essence of spiritual support was provided "in every detail" throughout pediatric palliative care. Four major themes and eleven subthemes were identified. 1) Assessing spiritual needs: paying attention to different perspectives; considering religion, tradition, and culture; discovering spiritual needs behind other needs. 2) Facilitating spiritual exploration: being with the family; providing resources; guiding by providers' own faith; 3) Supporting connections: encouraging the building of personal bonds; facilitating the establishment of spiritual connections. 4) Relieving spiritual suffering: facilitating a family review of child's life; supporting building meaning in daily life; assisting in leaving a legacy for the child. This study illustrated that current spiritual support, though not formally organized, is provided individually in pediatric palliative care services in mainland China. Strategies for a practice guide, education and training for professionals, and cultural building need to be rationally developed to strengthen and structure spiritual support integrated into pediatric palliative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiritual well-being is important for terminal cancer patients; however, appropriate interventions remain to be established. To evaluate the effectiveness of nursing care to alleviate spiritual pain in daily clinical practice using a Spiritual Pain Assessment Sheet-based spiritual care program for nurses (SpiPas-SCP-N). A nonrandomized controlled trial was conducted in five palliative care units in Japan. The intervention group received spiritual care based on SpiPas-SCP-N by ward nurses. The primary outcome was the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual (FACIT-Sp). Secondary outcomes included: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Comprehensive Quality of life Outcome (CoQoLo), and the Japanese version of the M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI-J). Propensity score matching was used for adjustment. Terminal cancer patients were assigned to the control and intervention groups (n = 140 and 157, respectively); of whom, 97 (69.8%) and 106 (68.0%), respectively, completed two weeks. Seventy-three patients were matched in each group. The total score of FACIT-Sp increased in the intervention group and decreased in the control group; however, there was no significant difference (95% CI, -3.98, 1.41, P = 0.347). HADS total score significantly increased (95% CI, 0.15, 3.87, P = 0.035), whereas there were no significant changes in CoQoLo and MDASI-J scores. The effect size of changes in FACIT-Sp subscales were 0.25 in the meaning/peace subscale and 0.04 in the faith subscale. SpiPas-SCP-N for spiritual pain may have a positive impact on terminal cancer patients. Future research using larger samples, randomized design, and the meaning/peace subscale of FACIT-Sp as the primary outcome is necessary as well as supervision and continuous training in daily nursing practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changes that parents face when caring for a child with a life-limiting condition at home can affect them on a spiritual level. Yet, indications remain that parents do not feel supported when dealing with spiritual issues related to caring for a severely ill child. This paper explores, from the perspectives of bereaved parents, chaplains, grief counselors, and primary health care providers, the barriers to supporting the spiritual needs of parents. We conducted a qualitative focus group study from a constructivist point with chaplains/grief counselors, primary care professionals, and bereaved parents. All groups participated in two consecutive focus group sessions. Data were thematically analyzed. Six chaplains/grief counselors, 6 care professionals, and 5 parents participated. We identified six barriers: (1) There were difficulties in identifying and communicating spiritual care needs. (2) The action-oriented approach to health care hinders the identification of spiritual care needs. (3) There is an existing prejudice that spiritual care needs are by nature confrontational or difficult to address. (4) Spiritual support is not structurally embedded in palliative care. (5) There is a lack of knowledge and misconceptions about existing support. (6) Seeking out spiritual support is seen as too demanding. Conclusion: Parents of children with life-limiting conditions face existential challenges. However, care needs are often not identified, and existing support is not recognized as such. The main challenge is to provide care professionals and parents with the tools and terminology that suit existing care needs. What is Known: • Spiritual care needs are an important aspect of pediatric palliative care. • Parents of children with life-limiting conditions feel unsupported when dealing with spiritual questions. What is New: • Parents and professionals mention barriers that hinder spiritual support for parents. • There is a disconnect between existing support and the care needs that parents have. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic had forced intensive care unit (ICU) nurses to adapt to extreme conditions in a short period of time. This resulted in them experiencing extremely stressful situations. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between post-traumatic growth (PTG) and religiosity and spirituality (R/S) among nurses caring for COVID-19 patients in intensive care during the pandemic. Materials and methods: 120 nurses working in Lublin, eastern Poland, participated in the cross-sectional study. The questionnaire was made up of three standardised tools: The Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory, The Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire, The Spiritual Attitude and Involvement List. Results: In terms of spirituality, the study group of nurses achieved the highest score in the Connectedness with Nature subscale (4.37 ± 1.07), while the strength of religious beliefs had a positive correlation with post-traumatic growth only in the Spiritual changes subscale (r = 0.422, p < 0.001). The following dimensions of spirituality were significantly correlated with post-traumatic growth in the multifactor model that included religiosity and spirituality: Transcendent experiences, Spiritual activities, Meaningfulness, Acceptance, and Trust. We saw that increase in the assessment of the Transcendent experiences, Meaningfulness and Trust subscales significantly mirrors increase in post-traumatic growth, while increase in the assessment of the Spiritual activities and Acceptance subscales significantly mirrors decrease in post-traumatic growth. The above variables explained up to 44% of the dependent variable. Conclusion: Both religiosity and spirituality were significantly associated with post-traumatic growth in the group of ICU nurses, but spirituality appears to have played a larger role. Our findings support the value and significance of the development of spiritual and religious identity as a means of enhancing positive psychological changes in the face of traumatic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with a high morbidity rate (7% in general and 325/100.000 in reproductive period) was known as "the mother of autoimmune diseases." But healthcare providers hadn't reliable scales to measure the effectiveness of interventions to improve reproductive health. Women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) express concern about a significant gap in their reproductive and sexual health during medical care due to the lack of a specific scale to measure this concept. This study developed psychometrically specific scale to evaluate this concept in Iranian women. Methods: The study utilized a sequential-exploratory mixed-methods design, wherein the concept of reproductive health was clarified during the qualitative phase using conventional content analysis (inductive-deductive) to create a pool of RHASLE (Reproductive Health Assessment in SLE) items. During the psychometric process, the face, content, and construct validities of the RHASLE were checked with 650 individuals (320 using exploratory factor analysis [EFA] and 330 using confirmatory factor analysis [CFA]) through interviews and completion of the questionnaire. Convergent and divergent validities were then checked, and the reliability was assessed through stability and internal consistency. Finally, the measurement error, responsiveness, and interpretability of the scale were evaluated and confirmed. Results: The study's findings revealed that the RHASLE consisted of 5 factors (33 items): physical-psychological disorder (13 items), relaxing feeling (6 items), spirituality (3 items), high-risk pregnancies (5 items), and sexual satisfaction (6 items). These factors explained a total of 99.97% of the variance in the concept of reproductive health. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the good model fit, and its validity and reliability were deemed acceptable. Conclusion: The RHASLE consisted of 27 items with high internal consistency, stability, responsiveness, and interpretability. That was able to get approval of Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist. Based on the results, RHASLE is a valid and reliable multidimensional scale that encompasses various aspects of reproductive health (physical, sexual, psychological, social, and spiritual). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Self-care in health is a set of activities undertaken to promote and restore health, prevent disease, and limit illness. Objectives: This study assessed the self-care status of women in Zahedan, southeast Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 15-60-year-old women in Zahedan. All the women were interviewed by an expert staff to obtain demographic data. In addition, they filled out a self-care assessment questionnaire that had 75 items in 5 dimensions, including physical health, mental and emotional well-being, management priorities, supportive relationships, and meaning. Results: A total of 250womenwith a mean age of 40 ± 11.6 years completed the study. The total self-care score was 191.3 ± 44.9. About 64% of the women had an unfavorable self-care score, while only 6.4% and 30% had good and relatively good scores, respectively. There was a direct correlation between age, mental and spiritual well-being (r = 0.618, P <0.001), and meaning (r = 0.229, P < 0.001), but an inverse correlation was found between age, physical health (r = - 0.413, P < 0.001), and supportive relationship (r = - 0.204, P <0.001). The highest unfavorable self-care score was found among women with elementary education (77.2%), while the lowest was found among women with university education (39.5%) (P = 0.001). Conclusions: About two-thirds of women had an unfavorable self-care score, which shows poor self-care in women in Zahedan. Therefore, appropriate educational and training programs should be administered to increase women's knowledge and promote self-care behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many benefits of standardised care but often this is not possible due to variations in the availability of healthcare resources in the UK. Within stoma care, there is evidence to guide care but with limited standardisation, particularly for community nurses. Stoma care is provided inconsistently, possibly due to variations in training and experience of the nurse. It is known that patients have greater needs in the first few months after stoma formation and this need for support is compounded if there are stoma complications. Community nurses can provide practical support and information, as well as psychological support and encouragement to help people become independent with stoma care and adapt to life with a stoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to advance understanding of how persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experience decision‐making about adopting public health measures during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods: Persons living with RA partnered throughout this nested qualitative study. One‐to‐one semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with participants with RA between December 2020 and December 2021. They were strategically sampled from a randomized controlled trial that was underway to test a physical activity counseling intervention. Analysis was guided by reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Thirty‐nine participants (aged 26–86 years; 36 women) in British Columbia, Canada were interviewed. We developed three themes. Participants described how their decision‐making about public health measures related to 1) "upholding moral values of togetherness" because decisions were intertwined with moral values of neighborliness and reciprocity. Some adapted their self‐care routines to uphold these moral values; 2) "relational autonomy—supports and challenges," because they sometimes felt supported and undermined in different relational settings (eg, by family, local community, or provincial government); and 3) "differing trust in information sources," in which decisions were shaped by the degree of faith they had in various information sources, including their rheumatologists. Conclusion: Across themes, experiences of decision‐making about public health measures during the pandemic were embedded with moral concepts of solidarity, autonomy, and trust, with implications for how persons with RA chose and sustained their self‐care activities. Insights gained help sensitize researchers and clinicians to moral issues experienced by persons with RA, which may inform support for self‐care activities during and after the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stress is inevitable in nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 and may cause compassion fatigue. Spiritual health seems to play a crucial role in coping with stress. Therefore, this study aims to determine the relationship between spiritual health, nursing stress caused by COVID-19, and compassion fatigue in nurses caring for COVID-19 patients. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 216 nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 participated from Bohlool Hospital (31), Nohomeh Day Hospital (100), and Razi Hospital (n=85), Khorasan Razavi Province, Iran, in 2021. The nurses of the COVID departments were selected by a simple random sampling method. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, spiritual health questionnaire, Figley professional quality of life questionnaire, and nursing stress questionnaire. Due to the non-normal distribution of the data, the Spearman correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationship between spiritual health, nursing stress, and compassion fatigue at a significance level of 5%. Results: A significant direct relationship was observed between spiritual health and compassion fatigue (P<0.001, r=0.35). Thus, compassion fatigue increases with higher spiritual health. Also, a significant and direct relationship was observed between nursing stress and compassion fatigue (P<0.001, r=0.27), whereby compassion fatigue increased with increasing nursing stress. Conclusion: According to the study results, higher spiritual health and higher nursing stress are associated with higher compassion fatigue. Thus, it is suggested that nurses be trained in nursing stress management techniques that can reduce compassion fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spiritual care occupies a special place in holistic care and improving the quality of services provided to patients. The component of clinical self-efficacy is recognized as a prerequisite for clinical capacity and competency. The current study determined the level of spiritual care competency and its relationship with clinical self-efficacy in nursing students. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 194 nursing students studying in medical sciences universities in Yazd, Iran, who were selected by convenient sampling. Data collection tools were a spiritual care competency scale and nursing students' clinical self-efficacy questionnaire. The gleaned data were analyzed by SPSS20 using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The mean scores of spiritual care competency and clinical self-efficacy of students were 70.29 ± 9.58 and 102.40 ± 21.57, respectively. The results of Pearson's correlation coefficient test showed that clinical self-efficacy had a positive significant correlation with spiritual care competency (p = 0.04, r = 0.14). The mean score of spiritual care competency was higher in female students (71.10 ± 9.81) than male students (67.50 ± 8.23) with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). The regression test results suggested that clinical self-efficacy can be considered as a predictor of spiritual care competency. Conclusion: The results revealed that spiritual care competency in nursing students was at an average level, and the higher the level of clinical self-efficacy is, the more developed the spiritual care competency will be. Thus, nursing educators and health system managers should pay special attention to improving the clinical self-efficacy of nursing students to develop their spiritual care competency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Yoga, as an ancient and modern practice, increases physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social health. Yoga studio websites serve as a dissemination channel for studios to express their offerings, whom they employ, and whom they seek as clientele. Public health workers, physicians, researchers, and clinicians, can refer to existing studios to increase health among their patients or clients. The degree to which these websites can provide relevant information to these various stakeholder groups has yet to be defined. Methods: A pragmatic, sequential mixed-methods study was employed with quantitative data extraction, summarized as means and proportions, to score the studio websites (N = 28), and semi-structured interviews (n = 6) analyzed using the rigorous and accelerated data reduction (RADaR) technique, to confirm website content and staff intention. To explore urban and rural characteristics, yoga studios in southwest Virginia and Los Angeles were selected for inclusion. Results: Overall, community-based yoga studios websites included information on the type, duration, cost, and COVID mitigation strategies. The most common class duration was 60 min. Rural Southwest Virginia studios offered 8.5 classes per week whereas those in urban Los Angeles offered 24.2 classes per week. All studios used iconography and images to invite racial, ethnic, age, and body type and ability diversity. While studios in both areas specified that there were 200- and 500-hour registered yoga teachers, many of the instructor biographies did not include information on their training. Although only preliminary, the interviews (n = 6) confirmed that the websites generally represented the feel, intention, and offerings of the studio and that the primary purpose of the studio was to build relationships and ensure people felt comfortable in the space. Conclusion: Website information was related to studio offerings and values; however, discussion with management or visiting the studio may provide a richer picture of the yoga practices offered in the space. Further suggestions for website content are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As breast cancer incidence rises among younger women, there is a knowledge gap regarding the emotional, physical, and social effects of mastectomy, specifically in a crisis-affected country such as Syria. This study aimed to explore these effects on young women with breast cancer in Syria, taking into consideration the cultural significance of a woman's breast as part of her feminine identity. Methods: A qualitative design, using semi-structured in-depth interviews with 10 young women with breast cancer who underwent mastectomy, was conducted between June to December 2022. Results: Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, and five main themes were identified: (1) psychological and emotional well-being (altered self-esteem and femininity, impact on sexual life and relationships, psychological distress associated with mastectomy, mirror trauma and the need for psychological care); (2) body image and breast reconstruction (the dilemma over reconstruction decision, body image and clothing and lack of access to prosthetic information/services); (3) social and interpersonal factors (lack of marriage choices and society's view and stigma); (4) coping mechanisms with mastectomy effects (family support; faith in god almighty; comparing their situation to others and use of prosthetics) and (5) physical health and functioning (physical effects on mobility and function). Conclusion: Mastectomy has significant physical, emotional, and social consequences on young women with breast cancer, particularly in crisis-affected Syria where access to breast reconstruction is limited. It is crucial for healthcare professionals to understand these impacts, to raise awareness, encourage early detection, and promote less aggressive treatments to improve women's quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Being diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease is a life-changing event and a critical time to help patients cope and move forward in a proactive way. Historically, the main focus of Parkinson's disease (PD) treatment has been on the motor features with limited attention given to non-motor and mental health sequelae, which have the most impact on quality of life. Although depression and anxiety have been described at the time of PD diagnosis, demoralization, intolerance of uncertainty, decreased self-efficacy, stigma and loneliness can also present and have negative effects on the trajectory of the disease. Hence, understanding the psychological impact of the diagnosis and how to provide better counselling at this critical time point may be the key to a better long-term trajectory and quality of life. Focus: There has been a paradigm shift in the treatment of chronic illness moving beyond the medical model, which focuses on fighting illness with the physician being in charge of the treatment process and the patient being the passive recipient, toward a more holistic (i.e., physical, psychological, social, and spiritual health) biopsychosocial approach that emphasizes behavioral factors with the patient being an active collaborator in their treatment. Hence, we propose that fostering resilience, social support, and psychological flexibility offer promise toward attenuating negative reactions and improving overall well-being. Conclusion: Through a proactive wellness approach incorporating lifestyle choices, people with PD (PwP) can not only achieve improved states of health, well-being, and quality of life, but actually thrive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To present evidence-based guidelines for clinical practice regarding religiosity and spirituality in mental health care in Brazil. Methods: A systematic review was conducted to identify potentially eligible articles indexed in the PubMed, PsycINFO, SciELO, LILACS, and Cochrane databases. A summary of recommendations and their levels of evidence was produced in accordance with Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine guidelines. Results: The systematic review identified 6,609 articles, 41 of which satisfied all inclusion criteria. Taking a spiritual history was found to be an essential part of a compassionate and culturally sensitive approach to care. It represents a way of obtaining relevant information about the patient's religiosity/ spirituality, potential conflicts that could impact treatment adherence, and improve patient satisfaction. Consistent evidence shows that reported perceptual experiences are unreliable for differentiating between anomalous experiences and psychopathology. Negative symptoms, cognitive and behavioral disorganization, and functional impairment are more helpful for distinguishing pathological and nonpathological anomalous experiences. Conclusion: Considering the importance of religiosity/spirituality for many patients, a spiritual history should be routinely included in mental health care. Anomalous experiences are highly prevalent, requiring a sensitive and evidence-based approach to differential diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 lockdowns in March 2020 forced National Diabetes Prevention Programs (DPPs) to pause, cancel or reformulate. This qualitative study sought to (a) document if/how New York City(NYC) DPPs adapted and served participants during lockdowns, and (b) identify successes and challenges to operating programs during the lockdowns and restrictions on social gathering. Methods: Researchers contacted 47 CDC-registered DPPs in NYC. Eleven DPP directors, lifestyle coaches, and coordinators involved in program implementation completed 1-hour semi-structured virtual interviews and received a $50 gift card. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using Grounded Theory (Dedoose, Version 9). Results: Interviewees represented 7 organization types: public hospitals, weight loss programs, healthcare centers, community-based organizations, health insurance companies, faith-based DPPs, and federally qualified health centers. DPPs served participants in 4 of 5 NYC boroughs. Six organizations provided DPP services during lockdowns by going virtual. Successes and challenges related to staffing, resource allocation, virtual data tracking, and participant engagement. Most programs were successful due to resilient, dedicated, and extraordinarily innovative staff. Conclusion: The pandemic highlighted opportunities for successful virtual DPPs in urban settings, and the need for more robust funding, staff support, and technical assistance for sustainability and scalability of the DPP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nurses' Job performance could be affected by occupational stress. Previous studies reported contradictory results in this regard. Factors such as moral and emotional intelligence could impact occupational stress. However, the extent of any mediating effect is unclear. Thus, this study aimed to determine the effect of occupational stress on nurses' Job performance and the mediating impact of moral and emotional intelligence. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Urmia teaching hospitals (Imam Khomeini, Motahari, Taleghani, Kosar, and Seyed al-Shohada Hospitals). Six hundred twenty-one nurses were selected using quota sampling from February 2022 to April 2022. Data were collected using demographic questionnaires, the Nursing Stress Scale, Paterson's Job Performance Questionnaire, Siberia Schering's Emotional Intelligence Standard Questionnaire, and Lennik and Keil's Moral Intelligence Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS ver. 23 and SmartPLS ver. 2. Results: Occupational stress had a positive, direct, and minor effect on nurses' job performance (β = 0.088, t-value = 2.245, p < 0.01). Occupational stress had a positive and direct impact on moral intelligence (β = 0.161, t-value = 2.945, p < 0.01) and a negative and direct effect on emotional intelligence (β = -0.351, t-value = 7.484, p < 0.01). Occupational stress negatively and indirectly affected job performance through moral intelligence (β =—0.560, t-value = 14.773, p < 0.01). Occupational stress also positively and indirectly impacted job performance through emotional intelligence (β = 0.098, t-value = 2.177, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Occupational stress slightly affects nurses' job performance, and emotional and moral intelligence mediates the impact of occupational stress and improves nurses' job performance. Low occupational stress improves nurses' job performance, but too much occupational stress could harm nurses' job performance. Healthcare administrators should work to help reduce nurses' occupational stress and improve their job performance by adopting practical strategies to help nurses manage and control their stress. Holding stress reduction classes, eliminating the nursing shortage, reducing working hours, reducing workload, and providing financial and spiritual support to nurses would be recommended. It is also recommended to provide theoretical and practical emotional and moral intelligence-oriented courses for nursing students and hold training workshops for nurses to improve their emotional and moral intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Being diagnosed with a risky pregnancy and complications developing during pregnancy cause both stress and uncertainty for women and their families, so women with risky pregnancies need spiritual care more. For this reason, this research was conducted to determine the spiritual care needs of risky pregnant women which require a multidisciplinary approach. Methods: The research is a phenomenological descriptive type of qualitative research. The study was completed with 20 participants, including 10 pregnant women who were hospitalized in the obstetrics and gynecology clinic and diagnosed with risky pregnancy, and 10 clinicians who were responsible for the care and treatment of pregnant women in the clinic. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview form. Data analysis was supported by the MaxQda 2020 Pro package program. Results: The two themes that emerged in this study are the perspectives of pregnant women and the perspectives of clinicians. Each theme is categorized as spirituality and spiritual care perceptions, spiritual care needs and experiences, and barriers to spiritual care. Conclusion: According to the findings obtained from the study, it is seen that the views of pregnant women and clinicians on spiritual care are similar. Supportive relationships and providing respectful maternal care are among the spiritual care needs of women with risky pregnancies, and these help to maintain the spiritual well-being of pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) have an increased need for medical care and a high risk of hospitalization. It is necessary to improve the integration between healthcare, long-term care and social care for these individuals, as poor integration limits the full potential of care. Objectives. This study aims to identify effective indicators of CVD management, including variables that promote the horizontal and vertical integration of planned interventions. Materials and methods. Patients with chronic CVD managed by a general practitioner (GP) or a primary care cardiologist will be enrolled in the study. The study will use the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL)-BREF, the Health Behavior Inventory (HBI) questionnaire, the Camberwell Assessment of Need (CAN) Short Appraisal Schedule, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Modified Version (HADS-M), a Self-Description Questionnaire, and the authors' self-prepared questionnaire to collect data. Results. The main results will allow for the identification of the variables that influence the effectiveness of healthcare (understood as the synergy of high quality of life, intensification of health behaviors and high satisfaction of needs) for patients with CVD. In addition, an examination of the relationships between quality of life and health behaviors, assessment of needs (health and social), level of religiosity and spirituality, expectations, and variables affecting anxiety and depressive symptoms will allow for the identification of indicators that favor the integration of care both horizontally and vertically. Conclusions. The results of this study will support the development of systems aimed at identifying CVD patients at risk for lower effectiveness of care in integrated care. In addition, the results may help to develop clinical information and decision support systems aimed at designing personalized care models for patients with CVD. They may also help to develop coordinated care plans and patient education programs, and obtain data useful for implementing system changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the underutilization of screening mammography, African American women (AAW) are more likely to experience negative health outcomes after receiving a late-stage breast cancer diagnosis than White Women (WW). The purpose of this article is to examine the roles of the media, health community and the African American church and pastor and their potential impact in AAW screening decisions. Fifteen AAW, ages 45 and older, were invited to participate in a semi-structured interview. Most women agreed the African American pastor and church as well as the health community, and media are an integral part of their lives. Therefore, specific to the issue of breast cancer awareness, faith-based institutions, media, and health community may be able to create greater awareness to help promote timeliness to screening mammography and improvement of survival rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In many high-income countries, COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities. Barriers to engaging with essential health messaging has contributed to difficulties in following public health advice and exacerbated existing inequity in Australia. Research suggests that recently-arrived CALD populations are particularly vulnerable to misinformation and are more likely to experience vaccine hesitancy. The aim of this study was to explore the barriers and enablers to COVID-19 vaccination among recently-arrived CALD communities in Melbourne's outer north and identify strategies to reduce hesitancy in this population. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives from community organisations working with recently-arrived CALD communities in Melbourne's north. This included a mix of peer (from the community) and health care workers. Results: Fifteen participants from community organisations participated in interviews. Thematic analysis identified four themes; (1) trusted sources, (2) accurate and culturally sensitive information, (3) supported pathways and (4) enablers to vaccination. Conclusions: Participants reported a perceived lack of accurate, culturally sensitive health information and service provision as key barriers to vaccination in recently-arrived CALD communities. Participants identified a range of perceived enablers to increasing vaccination uptake in the communities they work with, including utilising established channels of communication and harnessing the communities' strong sense of collective responsibility. Specific strategies to reduce vaccine hesitancy included identifying and utilising trusted sources (e.g. faith leaders) to disseminate information, tailoring health messages to address cultural differences, providing opportunities to contextualise information, and modifying service delivery to enhance cultural sensitivity. There is an urgent need for increased efforts from health and government agencies to build sustainable, collaborative relationships with CALD communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ageing is associated with multiple long-term health problems and requires medication management, support with activities of daily living, and attention to psychological needs. This study aimed at exploring the enablers and barriers and psychosocial determinants of long-term care. Methods: A qualitative study, using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, was carried out from February to June 2018. One-on-one in-depth interviews were carried out with 28 participants, including care recipients (n = 12), caregivers (n = 12), and primary-care physicians (n = 4) at the Community Health Centre in the state of Jammu and Kashmir of India. Results: Attention from family members, leisure activities, faith in the healthcare provider, and a positive attitude towards life were found to be enablers of long-term care. Resource constraints and alienation from the community were barriers. Incorporating the psychosocial needs of care recipients and problems faced by family caregivers is essential in providing good quality care to individuals with chronic illness. Conclusion: The lack of a targeted, nationwide policy has resulted in considerable variability in long-term care services across the country. There is an urgent need to make long-term care an integral part of the Indian health system utilizing a holistic framework to address the health needs of older adults and implementing it through an equitable community-based comprehensive primary health and community-based model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On behalf of the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology, we are pleased to present the Abstracts from the 2023 Annual Conference, titled "Co-designing Psychosocial Oncology: Optimizing Outcomes for All". The conference was held in Montreal from 20 June 2023 to 22 June 2023. This conference brought together key stakeholders including multidisciplinary professionals from nursing, psychology, psychiatry, social work, spiritual care, nutrition, medicine, rehabilitation medicine, occupational health and radiation therapy for both adult and pediatric populations. Participants included clinicians, researchers, educators in cancer care, community-based organizations and patient representatives. Patients, caregivers and family members presented abstracts that spoke to their role in managing cancer experiences and care. Over one hundred (100) abstracts were selected for presentation as symposia, 20-min oral presentations, 10-min oral presentations, 90-min workshops and poster presentations. We congratulate all the presenters on their research work and contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: to describe the meaning of spiritual care provided by nurses to palliative care patients. Methods: this is a qualitative, descriptive study; with nurses from second level health care institutions in the state of Guanajuato. Selection of participants by convenience sampling with 9 participants. Data collection through semi-structured audio-recorded interview, thematic data analysis; ethical criteria were respected, participants signed an informed consent. Results: six themes emerged: caring for patients' needs, Meaning of spirituality, Accompaniment, relief and support, Caring for respect of beliefs, Difficulties experienced in spiritual care and Need for changes in spiritual care. Conclusions: the meaning of nursing spiritual care considers the connection with nature and the universe and beliefs and practices; this connection is born in caring for one's needs that foster comfort, spirituality gives meaning to spiritual care as accompanying, relieving and supporting taking into account respect for beliefs. Difficulties are found in spiritual care and a need for changes in it in order to incorporate it into daily care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a growing need in Mingo County, West Virginia, for access to mental health care. For years, Appalachians have suffered from mental health disorders which are made more difficult by skepticism and stereotypes within the community. Faith community nursing initiatives have pursued health promotion strategies that have been known to engage members of the community to address mental health concerns. Due to a lack of knowledge and education on mental health, as well its isolated geographical location, this topic can be controversial in the Appalachian region. Purpose: To describe a case study of a community-based mental health promotion project where two local Mingo County Faith Community Nurses hosted a mental health fair. Outcomes: Despite a number of challenges, the project was successful, as it not only attracted members of the faith community but also people from the surrounding communities. By hosting the health fair, the Faith Community Nurses were able to offer free screenings and make appropriate referrals to mental health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ayurveda, the Traditional Indian system of medicine with a philosophical background, has a holistic approach to health. Yuktivyapashraya chiktsa (rational treatment by use of drugs), Satvavjaya chikitsa (psychotherapy), and Daivavyapashraya chikitsa (celestial therapy) are the methods of treatment adopted in Ayurveda. Daivavyapashraya chikitsa includes the wearing of gems, chanting of mantras, and performances of homas (fire oblation rituals) which have great results but lack scientific documentation. Agnihotra is advised as a part of garbhasamskara therapy, but its scientific benefits are not documented. These therapies revive normal functioning of the mind, build sattva guna, and remove obstacles from rajas. Agnihotra, also known as homa therapy, yaga, yajna, or sacrifice, is one of the rituals of ancient Vedic traditions. This study aims to review the earlier studies on Agnihotra and illuminate the scientific benefits of Agnihotra rituals and further relate their application as rakshognavidhi (preventive measures) in pregnant women (grabhini), postnatal women (sutika), and in infants (bala). This review covers the concepts of "Agnihotra," "Mantra," "Maternal and child health," "Preconception care," "Postpartum care" with the hope to evoke more studies and scientific evidences in this area. There were 13 articles selected from PubMed central and two articles from the Cochrane database. These reviews pay attention to the clinical trials and the scientific effect of the ingredients used in the rituals of Agnihotra with their benefits. Agnihotra rituals are practiced by chanting Vedic mantras. The scientific aspects of Agnihotra rituals and their application as rakshognavidhi in pregnant women (grabhini), postnatal women (sutika), and infants (bala) were analyzed with references for the antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial factors that cause sterilization effects. The ingredients such as cow dung cakes, ghee, and rice grains used in these rituals are antimicrobial and hence cause sterilization of the environment. The combined result of all ingredients practiced at the prescribed time produces positive vibrations that enrich electromagnetic radiation and cosmic energy. Such rituals are beneficial for maternal and child health because they maintain physical, mental, and spiritual health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]