ACC Spiritual Assessment Frameworks 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which spiritual assessment tool uses the acronym HOPE to guide chaplain interviews?
- Hope, Organized religion, Personal practices, Effects on care (Correct answer)
- Healing, Openness, Prayer, Empathy
- History, Orientation, Purpose, Expression
- Holiness, Outreach, Peace, Engagement
Correct answer: Hope, Organized religion, Personal practices, Effects on care
The HOPE tool assesses sources of Hope, Organized religion, Personal practices, and Effects on care/medical decisions.
Question 2: When using the FICA Spiritual History Tool, what does the 'C' stand for?
- Community
- Coping (Correct answer)
- Commitment
- Care
Correct answer: Coping
In FICA, 'C' stands for Coping — how the patient's spirituality helps them cope with illness.
Question 3: A chaplain notes a patient feels 'abandoned by God' following a cancer diagnosis. Which assessment domain does this PRIMARILY represent?
- Religious practice
- Spiritual distress (Correct answer)
- Social support
- Ethical conflict
Correct answer: Spiritual distress
Feeling abandoned by God is a classic indicator of spiritual distress, a core domain in most spiritual assessment frameworks.
Question 4: The 7×7 Model developed by Fitchett is notable because it assesses spirituality across how many dimensions?
- 3
- 5
- 7 (Correct answer)
- 9
Correct answer: 7
Fitchett's 7×7 Model assesses seven holistic dimensions (medical, psychological, family, psychosocial, ethnic/cultural/racial, societal, and spiritual) combined with seven spiritual dimensions.
Question 5: Which element is LEAST likely to be addressed in a brief spiritual screening tool used in an acute care setting?
- Whether the patient has a religious preference
- Whether the patient desires a chaplain visit
- A detailed childhood religious history (Correct answer)
- Whether the patient has spiritual concerns
Correct answer: A detailed childhood religious history
Brief screening tools focus on immediate spiritual needs and referrals, not comprehensive life histories.
Question 6: According to the Joint Commission standards, who holds PRIMARY responsibility for conducting spiritual screening in a hospital?
- The staff chaplain
- The attending physician
- Nursing staff (Correct answer)
- The patient's clergy
Correct answer: Nursing staff
The Joint Commission places initial spiritual screening responsibility on nursing staff as part of the general admission assessment.
Question 7: In spiritual assessment, 'meaning-making' refers to a patient's ability to:
- Recall scripture passages accurately
- Construct a coherent narrative around their suffering (Correct answer)
- Follow religious rituals correctly
- Identify their denominational affiliation
Correct answer: Construct a coherent narrative around their suffering
Meaning-making is the cognitive and spiritual process of integrating painful experiences into a coherent life story.
ACC Spiritual Assessment Frameworks 2
Which spiritual assessment tool uses the acronym HOPE to guide chaplain interviews?