Assessment of the Spiritual Needs of Primary Caregivers of Children with Life-Limiting Illnesses Is Valuable Yet Inconsistently Performed in the Hospital.

Background: Religion and spirituality influence how many patients and families experience illness, but knowledge of the level of spiritual care provided to caregivers of pediatric patients within the hospital is limited.

Objective: We evaluated patient caregivers' perceptions of the extent to which their religious and spiritual (R/S) needs were assessed and addressed in the hospital.

Methods: We surveyed primary caregivers of children referred to palliative care <1 year prior at an urban, pediatric academic medical center.