Interprofessional Collaboration and Spiritual Care in Health settings
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Abstract
Background: Contemporary healthcare increasingly recognises spirituality as a key dimension of holistic, patient-centred care. Despite growing evidence on the benefits of spiritual care and the importance of interprofessional collaboration, these domains are often examined separately in the literature, creating a gap in understanding their integration. This paper explores the role of interprofessional collaboration in the provision of spiritual care within healthcare settings.
Methods: This study employs a conceptual and integrative literature review methodology. Relevant peer-reviewed sources were identified through databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, and CINAHL using structured keywords related to interprofessional collaboration and spiritual care. The selected literature was analysed using thematic synthesis to identify key concepts, patterns, and relationships.
Results: The review identified five major themes: conceptual understanding of spiritual care, the role of interprofessional collaboration in healthcare delivery, professional roles in spiritual care, benefits of collaborative spiritual care, and barriers to its implementation. Findings indicate that collaborative practice enhances the delivery of spiritual care by enabling comprehensive, patient-centred approaches. It is associated with improved patient well-being, coping, satisfaction, and decision-making. However, barriers such as lack of training, role ambiguity, and organisational constraints limit effective integration.
Conclusion: Interprofessional collaboration is essential for the effective delivery of spiritual care and the advancement of holistic healthcare. This study contributes by integrating two previously distinct domains into a unified conceptual framework, highlighting the need for educational, organisational, and policy reforms to support collaborative spiritual care in practice.
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