NewsLine - May 2011 - (Page 27)

associated with slower rates of cognitive decline.11 Additionally, a meta-analysis of several studies that evaluated over 125,000 participants suggested a beneficial relationship between spirituality or religiosity and health status, although the considerable amount of heterogeneity among the studies greatly limits any conclusions that one can draw.12 Finally, an interesting study on healthy volunteers demonstrated that modulation of the perception of pain may be influenced by viewing religious images prior to and during a painful stimulus and, based on functional MRI scanning, this modulation can be associated with a specific area of the brain, the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex.13 In order to evaluate the effects of religious and spiritual support on end-of-life treatment preferences and quality of life in advanced cancer patients, a number of studies have been generated from data collected as part of the federally funded “Coping with Cancer” study. Most of the study population (88 percent) considered religion to be at least somewhat important in their lives. However, 47 percent felt that their spiritual needs were only minimally met or not met at all by their religious community, while 72 percent felt the same lack of support from the medical community—despite the fact that, for these patients, there was a significant association between quality of life and having their spiritual needs met. A significant direct correlation was also found between the level of patient religiousness and the desire for life-extending therapies near the end of life,14 with a follow-up study showing that patients who use religion in a positive way to cope with their terminal cancer were almost three times as likely to actually receive intensive lifeprolonging medical care in the last few days of life.15 Most recently, it was reported that when the spiritual needs of these patients were met by the medical team and/or by the pastoral care service, the patients had higher quality of life, were more likely to utilize hospice prior to death, and the sub-group who had high religious coping were less likely to receive less aggressive care at the end of life.16 The Physician’s Role in Spiritual Care With evidence that patients and families believe that spiritual care is important, and that there may be some positive healthrelated outcomes associated with the provision of spiritual care, physicians have an obligation to ensure that patients and families continued on next page When the spiritual needs of these patients were met... the patients had higher quality of life… NewsLine 27

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NewsLine - May 2011

POLST: An Evidence-based Tool for Advance Care Planning
A Message From Don
ICD-10: It’s Time to Begin Preparing
26th MLC Supporters (display ad)
Experience the ACHC Difference (display ad)
LifeBeat at Southern Tier Hospice and Palliative Care
Introducing NHPCO’s Custom Print Marketplace (display ad)
Voice of NCHPP: Spiritual Care: A Physician’s Perspective
NCHPP: Getting Involved
Recruiting Problems? HMR (display ad)
New - Hospice MDP Summer School (display ad)
CMS Clarifies Aspects of the Face-to-Face Encounter
Harvest: A New Film That Will Resonate With Members
Member News and Notes
Upcoming Educational Offerings
Cover 2

NewsLine - May 2011