Adoption of patient communication rules in clinical practice and the role of faith-based communities in shaping them: the palliative aspect of spiritual support

ABSTRACT The goal is to analyse patient communication rules and explore the role of specific faith-based communities in shaping them. The study was based on data collected from four groups of patients of different psychological types. About 77% of all patients in need of palliative care in Russia have diseases related to non-malignant diseases, among which there are also those requiring psychological medical care and spiritual support. Psychospiritual work, divided between psychotherapists and workers of faith-based organisations, was carried out over a period of eight months. The work was divided into four phases. The mental status of the patients was analysed in each phase. The analysis of the mental status showed improvement of the patients' mental state in the second and fourth phases, after interacting with the workers of a faith-based organisation. During the experiment, communication problems between patients and representatives of faith-based communities were identified in the study groups.