GWish News and Events

GWish is very proud to announce that the guidelines for spiritual care in palliative care, entitled "Improving the Quality of Spiritual Care as a Dimension of Palliative Care: The Report of the Consensus Conference," have been published by the Journal of Palliative Medicine. View the pdf of the article and the guidelines here:http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/jpm.2009.0142.

As many of you know, spirituality is recognized as a serious factor in patient care, especially in patients with serious and chronic illness. One of the reasons spirituality has not been implemented routinely is because of the lack of practical tools and recommendations. This report is a summary of the results from a consensus-driven process in which experts in spiritual and palliative care developed recommendations and tools. The guidelines provide:

- Spiritual care interprofessional implementation models, including assessment and treatment planning.
- Tools and resources for clinical care, research, and education.
- Recommendations for interprofessional training and professional development.
- Advice on how to develop accountability measures to ensure integration of spiritual care.
- Guidance on engaging community clergy and spiritual leaders in the care of patients and families.

A larger, more detailed version of this document will be published by Templeton Press in February 2010.

The consensus conference and guidelines were sponsored by the Archstone Foundation and were developed by GWish and the City of Hope. We at GWish would like to thank our colleagues at the Archstone Foundation and the City of Hope for a successful and productive effort we believe will go a long way toward improving end-of-life care.

We hope these recommendations will help you better incorporate spirituality in the care provided at your workplace and in your professional practice.

Sincerely,

Christina Puchalski, MD, FACP
Executive Director
George Washington University Institute for Spirituality & Health (GWish)
Professor of Medicine and Health Sciences
Departments of Medicine and Healthcare Sciences
The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Science