Religious Care by Clergymen at the Patients\' Bedsides: Its Impact on Spiritual Health

Disease is a matter with which each person may face in his life. If caregivers want to provide real and complete health care services, comprehensive attention to the spiritual needs of a patient is indispensibe. Since many people obtain spirituality through religion, appropriate religious care can promote spiritual health of patients. This research aimed at examining religious care program and determining the impact of religious care on spiritual health of hospitalized patients provided by the clergymen at the patients' bedsides. In this clinical trial, 142 patients hospitalized in Qom Nekuoei hospital were selected randomly and divided into experimental and control groups. After completing the questionnaire on demographic information and spiritual health questionnaire by the participants, religious care program was implemented in the experimental group and then the two groups were followed after intervention. The two groups had no statistically significant difference before intervention in spiritual health score and its domains (religious health and existential health) but after intervention there were statistically significant differences. Spiritual health score and its domains increased after the intervention (P<0.000). Religious care provided by clergymen at the patients' bedsides increases patients' spiritual health and their ability to cope with illness as well as reduce complications of the disease.