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	Institution: STANFORD Univ Med Center  | My Account | E-mail Alerts | Access Rights | Sign In Vol. 5 No. 1, January 1996   Archives  •  Online Features Special Article  This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal The SPIRITual History Todd A. Maugans, MD Arch Fam Med. 1996;5(1):11-16. Abstract Spirituality can be defined as a belief system focusing on intangible elements that impart vitality and meaning to life's events. Often spirituality is expressed through formalized religions. Recently, the interplay of spirituality, religion, and health care has been explored in the medical literature. Spiritual belief systems impact on the incidences, experiences, and outcomes of several common medical problems. Unfortunately, there is little recent literature addressing the process of conducting a medically oriented spiritual history. One approach to assisting the physician in spiritual history taking, a mnemonic, SPIRIT, is presented as a guide to identifying important components of the spiritual history. This article addresses the issues of when and whom to interview, as well as specific professional and ethical issues related to this topic. Two case examples from my practice are presented to illustrate the utility of the SPIRITual history. Author Affiliations From the Department of Family Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville. THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES Influence of Prayer and Prayer Habits on Outcome in Patients With Severe Head Injury Vannemreddy et al. AM J HOSP PALLIAT CARE 2009;26:264-269. ABSTRACT   Spirituality, Religion, and Clinical Care Sulmasy Chest 2009;135:1634-1642. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Measures of spiritual issues for palliative care patients: a literature review Vivat Palliat Med 2008;22:859-868. ABSTRACT   Spiritual issues in the care of dying patients: ". . . it's okay between me and god". Sulmasy JAMA 2006;296:1385-1392. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Prayer for Health Concerns: Results of a National Survey on Prevalence and Patterns of Use McCaffrey et al. Arch Intern Med 2004;164:858-862. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Hospice patients' attitudes regarding spiritual discussions with their doctors Hart et al. AM J HOSP PALLIAT CARE 2003;20:135-139. ABSTRACT   Integrating Religious Practices in Home Health Care: A Case Study of Collaboration between the Health Care System and the Orthodox Jew Ross and Hvizdash Home Health Care Management Practice 2002;14:457-460. ABSTRACT   A Biopsychosocial-Spiritual Model for the Care of Patients at the End of Life Sulmasy Gerontologist 2002;42:24-33. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Experiments on Distant Intercessory Prayer: God, Science, and the Lesson of Massah Chibnall et al. Arch Intern Med 2001;161:2529-2536. FULL TEXT   Physicians and Patient Spirituality: Professional Boundaries, Competency, and Ethics Post et al. ANN INTERN MED 2000;132:578-583. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Spirituality in Medical Practice Thomsen Arch Dermatol 1998;134:1443-1446. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   The SPIRITual History Woodall Arch Fam Med 1996;5:439-439. ABSTRACT   HOME | CURRENT ISSUE | PAST ISSUES | TOPIC COLLECTIONS | CME | PHYSICIAN JOBS | HELP CONDITIONS OF USE | PRIVACY POLICY | CONTACT US | SITE MAP   © 1996 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.