Spiritual care is stagnating in general practice: the need to move towards an embedded model

In the past two decades, research into GPs’ provision of spiritual care has made little progress, and the clinical application of such care has remained limited. GPs’ interest in spirituality is generally seen as beneficial, both in terms of doctor–patient communication and of patients’ wellbeing. However, the literature has failed to address key issues for GPs’ daily practice. Primary health care journals have published numerous articles about spirituality and spiritual care since the early 2000s. Illustrating this literature, Anandarajah and Hight present a review and a concrete tool (HOPE questions) for integrating spirituality into medical practice. In turn, Vermandere et al offer a systematic review of qualitative evidence. They discuss GPs’ perception of their role as spiritual care providers and the factors that facilitate or constrain their practice.