H.O.P.E. questions

Location: USA
Organisation(s): Brown University
Website: NA
Available language(s): English
Date of development: NA
Type of tool: Other (questions)
Purpose: Questions for incorporating a spiritual assessment into the medical interview
Topics covered: Spirituality issues related with end of life

Overview

The HOPE questions cover the basic areas of inquiry forphysicians to use in formal spiritual assessments.
H, pertains to a patient’s basic spiritual resources, such as sources of hope, without immediately focusing on religion orspirituality.
O and P, refer to areas of inquiry about the importance of organized religion in patients’ lives and the specific aspects of theirpersonal spirituality and practices that are most helpful.
E, pertains to the effects of a patient’s spirituality and beliefs on medical care and end-of-life issues.hat we are still needing andwhat can be donated or sell.

Reasons for selecting the practice and impact


The HOPE questions were developed as a teaching tool to help medical students, residents and practicing physicians begin theprocess of incorporating a spiritual assessment into the medicalinterview. These questions have not been validated by research, but the strength of this particular approach is that it allows for an open-ended exploration of an individual’s general spiritualresources and concerns and serves as a natural follow-up to discussion of other support systems. Although developed for professionals, these questions might be used also within an informal conversation with family members to explore spiritual issues related with end-of-life.

Impact: According to a survey conducted in the UK with 177 GPs, the HOPE tool was viewed as acceptable to use with patients by 65% of participants, although its limitations                   were   acknowledged. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0276281

Contacts and additional information



Transferability
The practice is totally transferable as it is based on a set of questions toopen a discussion.

Additional info
https://www.aafp.org/dam/brand/aafp/pubs/afp/issues/2001/0101/p81.pdf