SPIRITUALITY MEDICALLY RECOGNIZED

The importance of spirituality to health and healing is receiving increasing acceptance in the medical community, according to a report in "Research News." Their evidence: More U.S. medical schools are offering education on spirituality - from four in 1992 to more than half the total of all such schools in the U.S. at present.

The American College of Physicians and the American Society of Internal Medicine have issued a report suggesting that physicians pay attention to "psychosocial, existential, or spiritual suffering of patients with serious medical illness."

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), who evaluates and accredits most of the U.S. health-care organizations, established "Spiritual Assessment Standards" to provide for a greater understanding of how spirituality impacts patient care and service.