Where this resource is weakest

Our limits, with live numbers where possible.

15 + 13

clinical-guidance entries at the weakest evidence tier ("emerging"), plus entries with no source read, which state no position

N/A

citations awaiting human re-check per the latest integrity run

languages where only the interface is translated so far. In-depth content remains English

No summary can speak for a tradition

Guides describe documented patterns from each tradition's authoritative sources. Beliefs vary by denomination, school, culture, and person. A summary smooths what lived faith does not. The patient's own voice always supersedes anything written here.

No independent review yet

Content is informed by peer-reviewed literature but is not yet independently reviewed. Invitations are out; no review has been completed. The reviewer log lists completed reviews.

A single-maintainer, independent project

Built by one person: no institutional affiliation, IRB oversight, journal peer review, or registered legal entity. Large language models help source candidate claims and structure content; a human verifies every claim against primary sources before publication. A weekly automated check confirms each source still resolves and its title and year match (see the integrity report). It cannot tell whether we read a source correctly, so every citation has a correction link. No services beyond this educational site are offered.

Coverage has edges

14 traditions are covered in depth. Many more exist. Content depth is currently serious-illness and end-of-life care; the full planned scope and current status of every topic is at the coverage map. Framing is mostly U.S. (Medicare, U.S. hospice). Only the EOL care page adds an England/UK module, based on NICE guidance. The provider directory covers Southeast Michigan. Spanish and Arabic currently translate the interface only (Español, العربية). In-depth content remains English pending expert-reviewed translation. Coverage is also uneven across traditions: only 13 traditions currently have an approved list of authoritative sources a claim can cite, and that list is deepest for traditions with centralized institutional bodies (fiqh councils, denominational offices, responsa literature). Decentralized or less-institutionalized traditions are structurally harder to source, and at least one (Christian Science) currently has no approved source list at all, so no claim about its position can be verified under our own rules yet.

Not advice, ever

Educational and conversation-starting only: never medical, legal, or religious counsel. Decisions belong with the patient, family, physician, faith leader, and care team.

Instruments and third-party rights

Public availability and citation are not permission to reproduce, translate, adapt or score an instrument. Values in Care's CC BY-NC 4.0 license covers its own original content only, not the instruments and sources it cites. Where permission is required and not on file, Values in Care names and links the instrument and does not reproduce it. Last checked 2026-10-10.

FICA Spiritual History ToolPermission required, none on file

Version: Not specified
Owner: George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health (GWish), George Washington University
Official source: https://gwish.smhs.gwu.edu/programs/transforming-practice-health-settings/clinical-fica-tool
Use here: Named and linked as a spiritual-history framework. Not reproduced, adapted, scored or translated.
Reproduction: Not permitted without the publisher's written permission. The 2026-10-09 audit reports that the publisher page states excerpts, translations and adaptations require written permission. No permission is on file. Question cards were removed on 2026-10-10.
Translation: Not permitted without written permission. None requested or held.
Exports: No FICA wording appears in any export, print layout, bundled dataset or translation file.
Evidence: Audit report 2026-10-09 (owner-provided). The publisher page could not be re-read from the build environment, so the wording of its terms is unverified here. No permission record found in this repository.
Checked: 2026-10-10

FACIT-Sp (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy, Spiritual Well-Being)Permission required, none on file

Version: Not specified
Owner: FACIT.org (instrument developed by David Cella and colleagues)
Official source: https://www.facit.org/measures/facit-sp
Use here: Proposed only as a candidate outcome measure in the research brief. No items, scoring or norms are embedded or administered.
Reproduction: Requires a license from FACIT.org. None held. Items are not reproduced.
Translation: Official translations are licensed through FACIT.org. None used.
Exports: No FACIT-Sp items or scores in any export or dataset. Published studies are cited by name only.
Evidence: docs/cc10-stage2-research-digest-2026-08-29.md (Pack 5): owned by David Cella, licensed via FACIT.org, use requires a license. Terms page existence checked 2026-08-30 (docs/cc10-stage3-url-liveness-2026-08-30.md). Terms text not re-read 2026-10-10.
Checked: 2026-10-10

HOPE spiritual history (Anandarajah and Hight, 2001)Described only

Version: American Family Physician 2001;63(1):81-89
Owner: Authors and the journal publisher (American Academy of Family Physicians)
Official source: https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2001/0101/p81.html
Use here: Described by its four-part acronym only. Questions are not reproduced and it is not administered.
Reproduction: Reuse terms not assessed. Values in Care does not reproduce the published question wording.
Translation: Not translated.
Exports: Acronym expansion only.
Evidence: src/components/SpiritualAssessmentBench.tsx; journal terms not read.
Checked: 2026-10-10

PC-7 and PC-6 spiritual-concerns assessmentsDescribed only

Version: PC-7 development model; PC-6 2025 validation
Owner: Published study authors and journals
Official source: Not applicable
Use here: Described from the publications. Chaplain-administered; not administered by Values in Care.
Reproduction: Items and scoring are not reproduced. Reuse terms not assessed.
Translation: Not translated.
Exports: Description only.
Evidence: src/components/SpiritualAssessmentBench.tsx; evidence sources S26 and S27.
Checked: 2026-10-10

Spiritual Concerns Checklist (17 items)Described only

Version: BMJ Support Palliat Care 2020 Rasch validation
Owner: Published study authors and journal
Official source: Not applicable
Use here: Described from the publication. Items are not reproduced.
Reproduction: Items are not reproduced. Reuse terms not assessed.
Translation: Not translated.
Exports: Description only.
Evidence: src/components/SpiritualAssessmentBench.tsx; evidence source S30.
Checked: 2026-10-10

Values in Care conversation prompts, context questions and priority dimensionsOriginal content

Version: Current release
Owner: Values in Care
Official source: Not applicable
Use here: Original preparation prompts in the Decision Guide, My Values and the conversation workspace.
Reproduction: Original content under CC BY-NC 4.0. Where a prompt was shaped by shared-decision-making guidance (AHRQ SHARE, NICE NG197), that guidance is linked, not reproduced.
Translation: Interface text only. Not a validated translation of any instrument.
Exports: Included in exports. Not a validated instrument, scale or decision aid.
Evidence: src/data/conversationBriefs.ts, src/data/decisionSupportResearch.ts.
Checked: 2026-10-10

Constructs proposed for evaluation (recognition, control over sharing, clinician understanding)Named and linked

Version: Not yet selected
Owner: Not applicable
Official source: Not applicable
Use here: Described as proposed constructs in the research brief. No existing scale is adopted, embedded or implied.
Reproduction: None. Any instrument later chosen needs its own row here, with permission, before it appears.
Translation: None.
Exports: None.
Evidence: docs/research/collaboration-brief.md.
Checked: 2026-10-10

Correction policy: Methodology.