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Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

Abstract

Palliative care is a form of healthcare focused on providing pain relief and support to patients facing serious illness. This practice is conducted by a team of healthcare professionals and aims to improve patients’ quality of life in the context of long-term, serious illness. Palliative medicine supports patients with a wide range of diseases, including but not limited to cancer, dementia, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. It focuses on managing symptoms associated with severe conditions, such as pain, nausea, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and stress (Mayo Clinic, 2024). Catering palliative care to include the patient’s religious and spiritual beliefs would benefit symptom management in palliative medicine. Palliative medicine cannot simply follow the strict biomedical framework often attached to healthcare; it must also prioritize patients’ spiritual needs to ensure the greatest patient well-being. Through exploring how religion and spiritual practices affect depression, stress, and pain, this paper explores why religion and spirituality belong in palliative medicine.

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