7th Edition of World Nursing Science Conference 2027

Abstract

Spiritual well-being is a recognized component of holistic nursing care; however, spiritual assessment in acute care settings often occurs primarily at admission, while reassessment throughout hospitalization remains less standardized. As patients experience changes in health status, prognosis, or care transitions, spiritual needs may evolve, yet opportunities for reassessment can be overlooked due to competing clinical priorities and limited electronic health record (EHR) support. This concept paper proposes an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven clinical decision support (CDS) framework designed to promote timely and equitable spiritual reassessment in hospitalized patients. The proposed framework leverages AI-supported CDS to identify clinical events that may indicate changing spiritual needs, such as significant diagnoses, clinical deterioration, prolonged hospitalization, or transitions in care. Automated EHR prompts may encourage nurses to consider spiritual reassessment while preserving clinical judgment, interdisciplinary collaboration, and individualized care planning. By integrating existing spiritual assessment frameworks with emerging technologies, the model positions AI as a tool to support, rather than replace, holistic nursing practice. Standardized trigger-based reassessment may reduce variability in spiritual care delivery, improve recognition of evolving patient needs, and promote more equitable access to whole-person care. This framework offers a novel approach to advancing patient-centered care by aligning technological innovation with the core nursing values of compassion, advocacy, and holistic healing. Future collaboration among nurses, chaplains, informaticists, and technology specialists is needed to refine and evaluate the proposed model. 
Keywords: holistic nursing, spiritual care, spiritual assessment, health equity, clinical decision-making.