Learning the available and supplied religious facilities for inpatient services: an example of Taiwan's hospital environment.

Holistic nursing care is typically defined to include the assessment and support of a patient's religious background to respect his/her beliefs and promote coping with illness, rehabilitation, and/or dying. An assessment of Taiwanese hospitals reveals variation in the policies and environment supporting religious practices. The survey of nursing executives revealed that only 40% of hospitals had any facilities for religious service or prayer and only 4% employed a chaplain or recruited volunteers to provide religious support. Approximately 20% of hospitals did provide a room for special ceremonies, often used for rituals after patient death.