Spiritual needs and satisfaction with service provision: Mediating pathways among a national sample of hospital inpatients

Hospitalization, with its attendant existential concerns, typically elicits spiritual needs. Although a direct effect exists between addressing patients' spiritual needs and their overall satisfaction with service provision, little is known about the pathways that account for this positive relationship. To address this gap in the literature, this study used structural equation modeling to test eight constructs that may help explain the relationship between spiritual needs and satisfaction with a national sample of consecutively discharged inpatients (N = 2,083). The results suggest that frontline hospital personnel play an instrumental role in addressing patients' spiritual needs. The results also underscore the importance of collaborative relationships among health care professionals. By working together, social workers and other hospital personnel can optimize service provision to hospitalized adults in this critical area.