Spirituality and religion can play an important role in a patient's life and health. When taking a patient's history, it is useful to learn about their religious or spiritual beliefs and practices, and how they cope with or are distressed by illness. This includes any beliefs that could influence medical decisions. Tools like FICA can help assess a patient's faith, how important their spirituality is, their spiritual community, and any spiritual issues. Taking a spiritual history respects the patient's desires, can benefit the patient, enhances the doctor-patient relationship, and meets standards of quality care by identifying any religious struggles.