SynthesisBMC palliative care2025
Spirituality and spiritual care in palliative and terminal illness: a systematic review and epistemic meta-analysis from physicians' hermeneutic and bioethical perspective.
Synthesis in BMC palliative care, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Circulating Amyloid and Misfolded Biomarkers in Early Myocardial Injury: A Systematic Review and Epistemic Meta-Analysis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Pooled it
- Development and validation of the questionnaire "Spiritual Needs in Palliative Care" in Finnish.Palliative & supportive care · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSpirituality is a fundamental aspect of palliative care; however, it remains insufficiently addressed by physicians, despite patient’s expressed preferences and substantial evidence supporting its benefits. This systematic review explores the reason behind this persistent gap, focusing on the sociological and axiological factors influencing physician engagement with spiritual care.
aimTo develop a spirituality operative definition in the frame of healthcare and simultaneously identify and analyze the (value—based) axiological and sociocultural factors that influence physicians’ engagement with spiritual care to terminally ill patients.
methodA systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, BIREME) were searched up to September 2023. Studies were included based on their examination of physicians’ perspectives on spiritual care in palliative settings. Thematic synthesis was performed using Atlas.ti guided by Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutic framework and Echeverría’s axiology or values system. Quality appraisal was conducted using cross functional approach.
resultsPhysicians’ engagement with spiritual care is shaped by their own spirituality, including encompassing personal values (e.g., compassion, respect), individual beliefs and self-awareness regarding their own well-being and transcendent dimension of clinical practice. Additional factors include communication skills, established clinical routines and the nature of the care they provide their patients. The key barriers identified include insufficient training, ambiguity regarding the physician’s role in spiritual care and personal discomfort addressing spiritual matters. Cultural contexts and institutional dynamics, such as wether care is primarily nurse-led or physician-led care – also impact physician’s involvement.
conclusionEffectively integrating spiritual care into palliative practice requires not only technical competences grounded in evidence and values-based medicine but also reflective engagement with one’s own core values and beliefs. Understanding physicians’ perspectives highlights opportunities to embed spirituality and improve spiritual care provision by doctors within holistic care frameworks.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.