Exploration of Patients' Spiritual/Religious Beliefs and Resuscitation Decision

Abstract

The resuscitation decision, which has the potential to reverse a premature death or prolong the dying process, is complex and can be associated with spiritual/religious beliefs, values, and quality of life. The consequences of the resuscitation decision make it imperative that healthcare providers have an understanding of patients’ spiritual/religious beliefs and how those beliefs are associated with their resuscitation decisions. The objective of this study was to determine the associations between hospitalized patients’ spiritual/religious beliefs and their resuscitation decisions. A single-site, descriptive, correlational study was conducted with a convenience sample of 84 hospitalized patients who were enrolled between November 20, 2015 and January 16, 2016. The Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale-Revised (SIBS-R) and Beliefs and Values Scale (BVS) were used to assess spiritual/religious beliefs. Two questions (If your heart were to stop would you want someone to try to restart it? If you were to stop breathing would you want a breathing tube and machine?) were used to determine resuscitation decision. No associations were found between the demographic characteristics of this patient population and their resuscitation decisions. However, participants’ SIBS-R Total and External/Ritual scores and BVS Total and Factor 1 scores varied significantly according to primary spiritual/religious beliefs (traditional theistic and non-theistic) and ethnicity (Asian, Caucasian, and Native Hawai‘ian/Pacific Islanders). This study found no associations between resuscitation decisions and spiritual/religious beliefs in the sample of hospitalized patients, thus in the clinical setting assumptions about spiritual/religious beliefs and resuscitation decisions should not be made. Further research should address the complexity of the resuscitation decision, including individual factors such as patient understanding of medical interventions and anticipated prognosis, and influencing factors regarding cultural collectivist decision-making and acculturation.