Exploring Spiritual Needs and Loneliness Among Acutely Hospitalized Patients with Chronic Illnesses: An Observational Study Across Three Waves of the COVID-19 Epidemic in Taiwan

TL;DR

This study found that hospitalized patients with chronic illnesses in Taiwan had higher spiritual needs during the early stages of the pandemic and increased loneliness as the epidemic eased.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into how spiritual needs and loneliness fluctuated across different phases of the COVID-19 epidemic in hospitalized patients with chronic illnesses.

Findings

Spiritual needs were highest during the outbreak period of the first wave of the epidemic.

Loneliness increased significantly during the conclusion period of the third wave.

Higher age and comorbidity index were linked to greater spiritual needs.

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Spirituality and loneliness are widely recognized as important aspects of holistic healthcare. This observational study was conducted among hospitalized patients with chronic illnesses in a medical ward during three waves of the epidemic in Taiwan, from April 2022 to March 2023, to examine changes in spiritual needs and loneliness. Materials and Methods: These waves were classified as the first wave (outbreak period, April 2022 to July 2022); second wave (mitigation period, August 2022 to November 2022); and third wave (December 2022 to March 2023). The Spiritual Needs Scale and Loneliness Scale were used to assess changes in spiritual needs and loneliness of the enrolled patients across the different waves of the epidemic. Results: We found that the spiritual needs of the enrolled patients were higher during the outbreak period (F = 9.847, p < 0.001) compared to the other periods. In addition, loneliness was higher during the conclusion period (F = 45.764, p < 0.001) compared to the other two periods. Age (r = 0.261, p < 0.001) and the Charlson comorbidity index (r = 0.193, p < 0.01) were significantly positively correlated with spiritual needs. Furthermore, the number of daily confirmed COVID-19 cases (r = −0.392, p < 0.001) was significantly negatively correlated with loneliness. Conclusions: Hospitalized patients with chronic illnesses experienced heightened spiritual needs during the COVID-19 outbreak, while loneliness increased as the epidemic waned. The study’s prospective observational design is a strength, but incorporating additional temporal measures between periods would have enhanced the findings.

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