Abstract
The author draws attention to the urgency of addressing the issue of patients' spirituality and its influence on health, illness and dying in hospitals in the Czech Republic. She points out the need to distinguish it from one's religiousness, since one's spiritual orientation may, but need not, be of a religious nature, particularly in our secular society.
She refers to the need to provide care by hospital chaplains, which could considerably reduce patients' stress levels as well as that of their relatives and hospital staff. This could be helpful for ameliorating the interpersonal atmosphere within the individual hospital departments and improve the quality of health care provided.