靈性關懷在醫療體系之專業發展回顧與展望

A retrospective and prospective on the professional development of spiritual care

本文關注的議題是靈性關懷在醫療體系中的專業發展，回顧多個國家靈性關懷專業發展的政策框架、實踐經驗及專業認證體系，包括英國、歐盟、美國、加拿大、澳洲和日本等地。透過結構化的方式整理各國靈性關懷的發展情況，並分析其背後的政策支持、教育體系以及實踐成效，理解不同國家在靈性關懷專業化過程中的成功經驗與失敗教訓，目的是對於台灣未來靈性關懷發展提出建言。靈性關懷專業發展可分為幾個階段：初步的宗教支持階段、逐漸專業化的過程，以及當前的制度化與跨領域合作階段。這些發展方向不僅顯示出靈性關懷逐步被納入醫療體系的重要性，也強調了其在滿足患者心理與情感需求方面的潛力。針對台灣的狀況，借鑒其他國家的成功經驗，分析了以下四個面向做為台灣靈性關懷專業發展的借鑑，分別為一、法規與政策面向；二、教育與專業培訓面向；三、跨文化與宗教多樣性面向；四、靈性關懷評估與介入模式實證研究面向。台灣應加強靈性關懷的專業培訓，並推動跨領域合作，以提升醫療人員的靈性關懷能力。此外，應鼓勵政策制定者制定更明確的法規，促進靈性關懷的資源投入，從而能夠更有效地滿足病人的全人需求。這樣的措施將有助於台灣靈性關懷的專業化發展，並提升整體醫療服務的品質。

The present paper aims to explore the professional development of spiritual care within healthcare systems. It reviews the practical experiences of spiritual care professional development in several countries, including the policy frameworks, practices, and professional certification systems in the UK, the EU, the USA, Canada, Australia, and Japan. By structuring the information, this study organizes the development status of spiritual care in different countries and analyzes the underlying policy support, educational systems, and practical outcomes. The goal is to understand the successful experiences and lessons learned in the process of professionalizing spiritual care in various countries, thereby providing recommendations for the future development of spiritual care in Taiwan. The analysis indicates that the professional development of spiritual care can be divided into several stages: an initial phase of religious support, a gradual process of professionalization, and the current stage of institutionalization and interdisciplinary collaboration. These development directions highlight the importance of integrating spiritual care into healthcare systems and emphasize its potential to meet patients’psychological and emotional needs. Based on Taiwan’s context and drawing on the successful experiences of other countries, the following four aspects have been analyzed as references for the professional development of spiritual care in Taiwan: 1. Regulations and Policy: establishing clear legal and policy frameworks; 2. Education and Professional Training: strengthening specialized training programs for spiritual care practitioners; 3. Cross-Cultural and Religious Diversity: promoting understanding and inclusion of diverse cultural and religious contexts; and 4. Evidence-Based Research on Spiritual Care Assessment and Intervention Models: developing and applying proven models in practice. Taiwan should enhance professional training in spiritual care and foster interdisciplinary collaboration to improve the spiritual care competence of healthcare professionals. Additionally, policymakers should be encouraged to establish clearer regulations and allocate more resources to spiritual care, thereby enabling a more effective fulfillment of patients’holistic needs. These measures will contribute to the professional development of spiritual care in Taiwan and improve the overall quality of healthcare services.