La dimensione spirituale nelle pratiche di cura del fine vita. Limiti da superare e modelli da implementare

Although, in recent years, the spiritual dimension has progressively evolved into a topic of interest to healthcare organizations and scholars, it still needs to become part of patient care practices. Palliative care has developed greater attention to spirituality, since this discipline also focuses on the patient’s psychological and existential needs, therefore through a holistic approach not based exclusively on traditional medicine and the biomedical paradigm. The article examines, through a synthesis of existing international literature, the current state of spirituality in palliative care; therefore, it will highlight the challenges related to the implementation of shared and patient-centered spiritual practices by healthcare professionals. Furthermore, two hospice experiences, one in Thailand and the other in Italy, will be explored as possible models to be developed in the future for an integrated approach to spiritual care in end-of-life management.