Spiritual accompaniment in palliative care from a comprehensive care perspective: A narrative review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52611/confluencia.2026.1728Keywords:
Comprehensive health care, Palliative care, Spirituality, Religion and medicineAbstract
Introduction: Spiritual care is an essential component of palliative care, as it supports the existential and spiritual well-being of patients with serious illnesses. However, its effective implementation remains a challenge in many health systems. Objective: To explore spiritual care, its meaning, and its relationship with comprehensive person-centered care according to scientific literature. Methodology: A narrative review of scientific literature was conducted using databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Scielo and Redalyc. Language filters (English, Spanish and Portuguese) and publications from the last ten years were applied. DeCS/MESH, terms including spirituality, palliative care, comprehensive health care, religion and medicine were combined using boolean operators (AND and OR). Exclusion criteria included religious interventions unrelated to palliative care and articles lacking analytical development. No definitive number of articles was established due to the narrative nature of the review. Development: Spirituality is a dynamic and multifaceted dimension that becomes particularly relevant in palliative care by promoting meaning-making, coping and adaptation in the context of advanced illness. Spiritual care is grounded in genuine presence, active listening, and respect; however, its integration into clinical practice is affected by conceptual, professional, and organizational divergences. Conclusion: The implementation of spirituality in healthcare requires overcoming these existing barriers through interdisciplinary models that incorporate spiritual care as a core competency of comprehensive and humanized end-of-life care.
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