Barriers to Spiritual Care in Palliative Care

The majority of palliative care patients and their loved ones desire for their spiritual care needs and preferences to be assessed and addressed. Most clinicians also desire to provide some form of spiritual care to patients and those within the patient’s inner circle of support. Barriers persist, however, to the delivery of this spiritual care. This chapter will examine the evidence base concerning professional, personal, and institutional barriers as well as explore ways of overcoming these barriers. The professional barriers discussed include confusion regarding whose job it is to provide spiritual care, communication concerns about spiritual care within the interdisciplinary team, the need for spiritual care training, and existing structural challenges. From a clinician’s stated discomfort to the possible fear of offending patients, personal barriers are also considered. The institutional barriers of time and money are also explored from the lens of both the chaplain and non-chaplains. This chapter concludes with suggestions for overcoming spiritual care barriers. Three possible solutions include expanding the knowledge and evidence base for spiritual care, optimising the use of telehealth, and promoting professional development. As spiritual barriers are overcome, the healing benefits received will strengthen whole person care for those living with serious illness.