Making Time and Being Present: Spiritual Care Revisited.

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed significant strain on home healthcare clinicians, shifting the focus of care to essential physical care needs. Spiritual care needs have always been present, but the pandemic has heightened recognition of the importance of spiritual care in home care. The goals of spiritual care include promoting physical healing, improving quality of life, and enhancing patient and family wellbeing. The use of a standardized spiritual assessment tool can increase provider awareness and patient expression of spiritual care needs. Spiritual care activities consist of obtaining a spiritual history, compassionate presence, mindful listening, interprofessional collaboration, and the provision of space for spiritual practices. This article provides a conceptual overview and strategies for application of spiritual care competencies.

Initiation of Standardized Depression Screening in College Health: A Quality Improvement Project.

BACKGROUND: Depression is a leading health concern in college health. An on-campus health clinic was identified as conducting complaint-based screening. U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends standardized screening in all primary care settings. OBJECTIVE: To implement a quality improvement project for standardized screening and referral of depressive symptoms and identify factors related to mentoring program interest in a college health clinic. METHODS: Demographic survey and Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) were distributed to students who met inclusion criteria. Positive screens received further intervention with Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and immediate evaluation, encouragement of follow-up, or educational handout. RESULTS: Of students receiving primary care services at a college health center, 221 completed demographic surveys, 165 completed the PHQ-2, and eight students received interventions for positive screens. Furthermore, 74.6% of students expressed interest in a mentoring program. CONCLUSIONS: The project demonstrates ease of standardized screening in the college health setting without excessive burden to staff or budget. This is a critical preventative care measure for improving early detection and management of depression at college health centers. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Initiation of standardized screening on college campuses is a worthwhile investment and should be implemented by registered nurses (RNs) and advanced practice nurses. Support program initiation should be considered to help students with unmanaged symptoms.