The Effect of Fulfilling Spiritual Needs on Anxiety Levels among Inpatients at RSIGM Sultan Agung Semarang: Implications for Patient Safety

Abstract

Spiritual needs are personal needs related to the search for meaning and purpose in life, inner peace, values, and individual beliefs. In hospitalized patients, fulfilling spiritual needs is an essential component of holistic and patient-centered care. Unmet spiritual needs may contribute to psychological distress and anxiety, which can affect patients’ adaptation, communication, engagement, and experience of care. Because patient safety depends not only on clinical procedures but also on effective communication, patient engagement, and the reduction of avoidable risks, attention to patients’ psychological and spiritual well-being may have important implications for safe care. This study aims to analyze the relationship between spiritual needs fulfillment and anxiety levels among inpatients at RSIGM Sultan Agung Semarang and to discuss its implications for patient safety.
This quantitative study used an observational analytic design with a cross-sectional approach among 49 inpatients at RSIGM Sultan Agung Semarang. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed using the Spearman correlation test with the assistance of SPSS software.
The results showed that the fulfillment of spiritual needs among inpatients was categorized as very good, while anxiety levels were predominantly classified as minimal. The mean spiritual needs fulfillment score was 45.16 ± 3.87, while the mean anxiety score was 3.06 ± 3.79. Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated a statistically significant negative relationship between spiritual needs fulfillment and anxiety levels (p = 0.007; r = −0.380), indicating that higher fulfillment of spiritual needs was associated with lower anxiety levels.
These findings suggest that strengthening spiritual care may contribute to a more supportive and patient-centered hospital environment by addressing psychological and spiritual needs that may influence patients’ engagement and adaptation during hospitalization. Although patient safety was not directly measured in this study, the findings have potential implications for patient safety through the promotion of effective communication, patient engagement, emotional stability, and supportive care. Hospitals are therefore encouraged to strengthen spiritually sensitive services as part of holistic care and broader quality and patient-safety strategies.