# Spiritual care in cancer

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/spiritual-care-in-cancer/  
OnCo record `spiritual-care-in-cancer` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Spiritual care is support with questions of meaning, faith, hope and fear that serious illness brings, whether or not you are religious. Hospital chaplains offer it to anyone, and in US hospice care it is part of the plan for you and your family.

## Summary

The National Cancer Institute's PDQ summary Spirituality in Cancer Care reviews how spiritual and religious concerns affect people with cancer, how they can be assessed with spiritual history tools that open a dialogue and identify the need for referral to a chaplain or support group, and how responsibility has moved from the chaplain alone towards the whole care team; one cancer centre developed a four-stage model so each professional can give spiritual care at their own skill level. Medicare's hospice plan of care includes spiritual and grief counselling for the patient and family.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-11-04
- Also known as: spiritual care; chaplaincy in cancer care; spirituality in cancer care
- Tags: supportive; psychosocial

## Sources

- NCI PDQ: Spirituality in Cancer Care (health professional version): https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/day-to-day/faith-and-spirituality/spirituality-hp-pdq
- Medicare.gov: hospice care: https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hospice-care

## Connected records

- technologies: [Dignity therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/dignity-therapy/), [Early integrated palliative care](https://onco.cc/technologies/palliative-care/), [Psycho-oncology and distress screening](https://onco.cc/technologies/psycho-oncology/)
- terms: [Grief and bereavement support](https://onco.cc/terms/bereavement-support/)

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