Heartbeat: Sustainable Development Goals
Rousseou Project
- Aging Healthy
Estella Ramos Rezende, Larissa Cristine Lopes DENEM Brazil
Three of the highly regarded researchers in the field of Medicine which integrates spirituality into healthcare, Dr. Alexander Moreira, Dr. Harold Koenig and Dr. Giancarlo Lucchetti, have defined spirituality1 as one’s personal seek to comprehend queries about life, meaning and relationship to the sacred or transcendent. Recognized by World Health Organization2 (WHO) and international medical associations as the Association of American Medical Colleges3 (AAMC), this integrative approach has been earning space in medical studies. According to WHO, health4 is the outcome of biological, phycological and social factors harmonically combined and not only the lack of diseases. From this perspective, there are no illnesses, but rather ill individuals. Each person would therefore undergo the impact of these parameters in a particular way, according to the concept of integrality. It was addressing this outlook that the greatest international event of Medicine and Spirituality – MEDNESP5 – introduced its themes related to basic concepts of Modern Physics, Spirituality and Health. By experiencing this background as academics of the second period of Medical School we had the opportunity to reflect on the magnitude of using spirituality as a grounding principle in health treatments. The great demand for approaches linked to this idea – which is evidenced by the exponential rate of articles that has already been published on the subject – and the current proven benefits of applying spirituality to medical practice have led us to uphold the incorporation of the binomial Health-Spirituality into academia.
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Numerous researchers have already supported the referred binomial. The pioneer in the definition of spirituality, transcendence and meaning of life, Dr. Cristina Puchalski6, and the Psychiatrist that investigates the boundary between Spirituality and Religiosity though epistemological, methodological
and historical studies, Dr. Harold Koenig7, are distinguished examples of scientists dedicated to this cause. Also set in this context is the recent bibliometric survey8 from PubMed. It revealed that more than 30,000 publications have been produced in the last decade, demonstrating the claiming of knowledge in the field. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that spirituality in clinical practice track two pathways. Considering the patient’s perspective, a meaning for life can enhance the prognosis and reduce9 symptoms of depression and suicide attempts. Whilst by the medical duties’ view, empathy10 comes alongside spirituality influencing doctor-patient relationship and hence the medicinal therapy to be chosen. Therefore, the mechanistic paradigm from Academic Medicine shall undergo a transformation process taking into account the personal, transcendental and religious aspects of the human being. As the foundress of the movement responsible for MEDNESP, Dr. Marlene Nobre11, once stated, Medicine cannot be divided into systems, since it is an integral man who calls for medical aid, not a split one. In the role of founders of the newborn Academic League of Health and Spirituality (LASE)12 of our university – UNIRIO (Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro) – such background inspires us to pursue our journey hopefully, having ahead of us many promising projects expecting to be developed. References: 1. Moreira-Almeida A, Koenig HG, Lucchetti G. Clinical implications of spirituality to mental health: review of evidence and practical guidelines. Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria. 2014. 2. World Health Organization (WHO). WHOQOL Spirituality, Religiousness and Personal Beliefs (SRPB) Field-Test Instrument. Available at < http://www.who.int/mental_health/media/ en/622.pdf> 3. Puchalski CM, Blatt B, Kogan M, Butler A. Spirituality and Health: The Development of a Field. Academic Medicine: January 2014 - Volume 89 - Issue 1 - p 10–16. 4. World Health Organization (WHO). What is the WHO definition of health? Available at <http://www.who.int/suggestions/faq/en/> 5. MEDNESP 2017 - Congress of Medicine and Spirituality. Available at <https://www.emedevents.com/conferenceview/brazil/rio-de-janeiro/rio-de-janeiro/medical-conferences-2017/ mednesp-2017-congress-of-medicine-and-spirituality-68570> 6. Christina M. Puchalski, MD, MS, FACP, FAAHPM. Available at <https://smhs.gwu.edu/ gwish/about/dr-puchalski> 7. Harold G. Koenig, M.D. Available at <https://spiritualityandhealth.duke.edu/index.php/ harold-g-koenig-m-d>
medical students worldwide