搜索结果：Journal of health care chaplaincy

This first-of-its-kind study explored the essential competencies healthcare chaplaincy hiring managers (HCHMs) sought for entry-level healthcare chaplains (HCCs). We conducted qualitative interviews with 16 HCHMs and using reflexive thematic analysis (RTA), developed nine key themes: interpersonal skills, teamwork, knowledge of family and group dynamics, understanding of the healthcare system, professionalism, proficiency in spiritual assessment, effective communication, commitment to lifelong learning, and knowledge of various religious and spiritual beliefs, extending beyond one's own faith tradition. These themes reflected HCCs roles as healthcare professionals who contribute to patient care, interdisciplinary collaboration, and spiritual leadership responsibilities. The study underscored the need for chaplaincy education to integrate healthcare-specific coursework, interprofessional training, cultural and religious humility, and deeper knowledge of diverse belief systems. Developing and incorporating curriculum standards based on these themes could enhance the readiness of HCCs to deliver comprehensive care and meet the dynamic demands of diverse patient populations within today's healthcare landscape.

This study investigated the educational experiences of early-career healthcare chaplains (ECHCs) to identify their perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of their academic and clinical training. We conducted an online survey with fixed-choice and open-text questions, gathering data from 288 ECHCs. Their responses revealed substantial gaps between traditional academic programs, such as the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree, and the competencies needed for effective healthcare chaplaincy, with only 40% of respondents feeling adequately prepared. Although Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) was recognized for fostering practical skills and self-awareness, areas for improvement were noted by 15%-50%. The study highlights the need for integrated curricula that combine academic knowledge with clinical practice, ensuring chaplains are equipped with the competencies needed to meet the demands of modern healthcare. The research suggests that chaplaincy education should be redesigned to better align with the evolving professional landscape of healthcare chaplaincy.

Several studies have examined the goals and outcomes of chaplaincy within institutional settings. Our study contributes to the literature by examining whether chaplaincy goals and outcomes are specific to different outpatient, primary, and community care contexts. We conducted a round of 9 and one of 8 focus groups, with clients, chaplains, and other professionals from five contexts: the Dutch earthquake zone, general healthcare, pediatric palliative care, care for the unhoused, and veteran care. Using an explorative, descriptive and quantitative design, 77 goals and 59 outcomes are compared and categorized in a four-quadrant framework. Our findings show few differences between goals and outcomes of different contexts. However, the goals of care for the unhoused and veterans focus more on the inner experience of the relationship with the chaplain. Non-context-specific goals and outcomes might be related to how chaplaincy is approached, and the context-specific ones to existential concerns in the care contexts.

Workplace violence (WPV) is a growing concern within healthcare, yet little attention has been given to its impact on chaplains. The current study examines the prevalence, reporting behaviors, and consequences of WPV among 327 healthcare chaplains across diverse care settings. Approximately 52% of respondents reported experiencing violence within the 30 days preceding the study; however, the vast majority did not report these incidents to their managers, healthcare system administration, or law enforcement. Experiences of WPV were associated with increased turnover intent and higher emotional strain. Results underscore the normalization of violence amongst chaplains as well as the institutional gaps in supporting healthcare workers who experience WPV. The findings highlight an urgent need for targeted interventions, policy development, and further research to enhance chaplain safety and well-being within the healthcare setting.

Interprofessional collaborative practice is integral to providing spiritual care and whole-person care. As interprofessional spiritual care models continue to evolve, existing research on chaplains' collaboration and leadership remains limited. In Part 2 of a two-part scoping review, we examine the factors that influence chaplains' collaboration and leadership. The review included 53 studies to map the relevant literature. Our analysis identified (a) four key factors: relational factors, the professional chaplain role, attitudes influencing collaboration, and leadership action, and (b) two contextual factors: power dynamics and organizational conditions that provide an embedded environment, dynamically shaping and interacting with facilitators and barriers. Findings provide valuable insights for the effective integration of chaplains in interprofessional practice and illuminate the need for proactive approaches from both chaplains and healthcare systems. Incorporating interprofessional education and shared experiences throughout chaplaincy training and professional development is essential to enhance chaplains' ability to collaborate and lead in interprofessional settings.

Healthcare chaplaincy education in the United States lacks standardized curriculum guidelines, resulting in inconsistent training and preparation for clinical practice. This modified e-Delphi sought consensus on curriculum standards to address this gap. Nineteen experts-including chaplains, clinical pastoral educators, theological faculty, and thought leaders-participated in a three-round process evaluating eight proposed domains covering academic and clinical competencies. Participants rated 78 knowledge and skill competencies and provided qualitative feedback. The panel achieved over 75% agreement on all domains and competencies, with more than half (58%) reaching at least 90% agreement. This study's standards bridge longstanding divides in healthcare chaplaincy education, offering a cohesive framework to strengthen current programs and design new ones aligned with healthcare's specific needs. These curriculum standards present a roadmap for transforming chaplaincy education, ensuring that future chaplains are equipped to meet the spiritual needs of patients, their loved ones, and staff in increasingly complex healthcare environments.n.

Religious and spiritual care has been overlooked by studies evaluating its impact on caregivers of patients admitted to pediatric hospitals. This scoping review examines the literature on the impact of spiritual and religious care on parents or guardians of children admitted to high acuity pediatric hospital units. Utilizing Arksey & O'Malley's framework for conducting scoping reviews, we included studies from within the last ten years written in English or Spanish in pediatric populations that reported role, effects, or impact of religious and spiritual care. Results reveal themes of positive impact of spiritual or religious care on several components of parents/caregivers' in the areas of emotional coping, grief and bereavement, positive parental perception of the impact of chaplains in high acuity settings, and outside spiritual/religious guidance and support during the medical decision-making process. More studies are needed to address the paucity of data on this topic with caregivers of pediatric patients.

Often unrecognized and frequently overlooked, the inclusion of social determinants of health in stroke management is critical to improving outcomes. Using the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke working group Determinants of Inequities in Neurological Disease, Health, and Well-being framework, this article reviews structural, social status, intermediate, intrapersonal, and biological determinants of health inequities and their impact on equity in neurologic health after stroke. It is imperative that social determinants of health are evaluated as a requirement for effective stroke prevention and rehabilitation. To optimize secondary stroke prevention and improve stroke outcomes, it is critical to include social determinants of health as components of poststroke management, starting during the acute hospitalization and continuing through outpatient management. Interdisciplinary services, such as social work, care coordination, behavioral health, physical and occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, and chaplaincy, provide additional resources to help stroke survivors and their caregivers.

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) prepares health care chaplains to address the spiritual and emotional needs of diverse patients and staff by cultivating self-awareness, interpersonal and clinical skills, and resilient compassion. Some health care chaplains engage in structured fellowship activities after CPE to expand and improve their expertise in clinical spiritual care. We conducted a retrospective investigation of recurring consult case reflections from chaplain fellows (n = 10) enrolled in a 2-year Compassion-Centered Spiritual Health (CCSH) fellowship program. We compared the fellows' first and last 10 reflections to identify changes in the fellows' reported activities and in the language that they used to reflect on their attunement during the consults. In the last 10 reflections, fellows attributed patient distress to a wider array of sources and were more likely to report using mindful grounding and cultivating a warmhearted presence with patients. When reflecting on their self-attunement, fellows used fewer discrepancy words (e.g., would) and more positive emotion language in the final 10 reflections. These results suggest that fellows diversified their activities with patients and used less dichotomous thinking to discuss their attunement as they became more experienced. This research provides insight into the cultivation of interpersonal and intrapersonal skills essential for high-quality chaplaincy care.

To understand multidisciplinary healthcare clinicians' meaningful and challenging experiences providing spiritual care to patients with cancer and their care partners. Multidisciplinary clinicians who participated in a communication training program supported by the National Cancer Institute or a palliative care training for nurses (N = 257) responded to two, open-ended questions about meaningful and challenging experiences of providing spiritual care. A thematic analysis of responses using an iterative, inductive approach was conducted until saturation was reached. Participants from nursing (68%), social work (22%), and chaplaincy (10%) responded to open-ended survey questions. Three themes related to meaningful experiences of providing spiritual care emerged: building authentic interpersonal connection with patients and care partners; creating intentional space for patients and care partners to inform spiritual care; and actively supporting patients and care partners in their processes with spirituality. Three themes related to challenging experiences of providing spiritual care emerged: contextual factors and clinical circumstances complicate provision of spiritual care; facing barriers to providing high-quality, patient-centered care; and navigating ethical and logistical issues that affect spiritual and other care. Clinicians derive meaning from a range of experiences throughout their provision of spiritual care to patients with cancer. However, they also face many challenges in delivering person-centered spiritual care in cancer settings, with some challenges reflecting significant gaps in spiritual care knowledge and training. Findings can guide future training and educational endeavors for multidisciplinary clinicians in the domain of spiritual care.

Spiritual care providers in health care settings experience high levels of stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue. In this study, we investigated the effects of self-directed activity to address chaplains' fatigue. The study also identified chaplains' preferences for dedicated time, the effects of such an activity, and the contribution of this intervention for well-being and work productivity. Eighteen chaplains participated in the study. Data were collected through a post-intervention survey. Results showed that offering a specific intervention aimed at addressing fatigue and burnout had positive benefits, not only for chaplains but also for the sponsoring organization. When employees feel cared for, they become more productive and willing to accept and work through challenges experienced by the organization such as a pandemic. Investing in self-care and work-based interventions of choice could potentially benefit the organization economically and create a stronger sense of organizational loyalty and connection.

In addition to supporting patients and their loved ones at critical times, chaplains have long understood that caring for their health care colleagues is an important part of their practice. The Covid-19 pandemic prompted conversations among chaplains about how best to address the stress they were observing in health care workers. Our team conducted a scoping review in PubMed and CINAHL of peer reviewed literature describing chaplaincy care for health care workers. We started with 364 unique articles and found 59 that met criteria for the review. Five themes surfaced in analysis of these articles, with two themes emerging as most important: (1) descriptions of care for staff as part of the chaplain's role, especially when staff are making difficult decisions and (2) reports of the effects of chaplain care for staff, both indirect and direct. We discovered that research was limited, and more research is needed regarding chaplain care for health care colleagues.

This article examines how hospital chaplains in Norwegian specialist healthcare support patients at risk of suicide, with particular attention to existential care within a pluralistic society. Based on qualitative data from four focus group interviews involving 16 chaplains across somatic and psychiatric units, the study explores how chaplains understand, experience, and reflect on their role in existential conversations. Three main themes emerged: the chaplains' theological and worldview profiles, their openness to diverse worldviews, and the dilemmas they face in balancing professional identity with interdisciplinary expectations. The findings highlight chaplains' capacity to create meaningful, non-judgmental spaces for dialogue, where suffering and hope can be explored. However, the absence of explicitly articulated frameworks may limit their visibility and integration in interdisciplinary care. The study underscores the importance of clarifying the chaplain's role in modern healthcare and developing shared professional language to strengthen existential care for patients in crisis.

In 2024, the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic approved a bill amending Act No. 372/2011, on health services and conditions for their provision (the Health Services Act). Its amendment (Act No. 240/2024) was, among other things, supposed to include provisions concerning spiritual care provided by hospital chaplains. However, this did not happen, and hospital chaplaincy received legal support only with the next comprehensive amendment to the Health Services Act in 2025. However, this did not happen, and hospital chaplaincy received legal support only with the next comprehensive amendment to the Health Services Act in 2025 (Act No. 290/2025).

The complexity of patient care demands that health care teams collaborate effectively. This means that when pastoral care staff engage with patients, they need to communicate their findings to other members of the multidisciplinary team to maximize patient benefits. In 2016, an Australian hospital found that pastoral care staff were able to visit only 30% of admitted patients, and that documentation of pastoral care visits was minimal. This paper describes and measures the impact of a quality improvement education program for pastoral care workers by auditing patient medical records pre- and post-intervention. The intervention did not significantly increase the number of pastoral care visits or referrals. Documentation of pastoral care visits was significantly improved in terms of the detail provided. More work is required to standardize indications for pastoral care referral and templates for pastoral documentation in patient medical records.

Health care and religious organizations have a long history with one another. Chaplains' investments in the health and wellbeing of their local communities have extended beyond the hospital walls for longer than many chaplains may recognize. However, the published evidence suggests these efforts have been limited. Given the history of health care evolution in the United States, the small evidence of cases highlighting chaplains' leadership within community health initiatives, and the pressure for health systems to address the social determinants of health, we sought to explore chaplains' integration in community health and wellness initiatives. This paper presents the results of a qualitative analysis of interviews with chaplains working to promote community health and wellness (n = 10). The identified themes highlight factors at the individual chaplain level, such as how chaplains got involved, characteristics of the chaplains' contexts, and the impact of chaplains' involvement.

Healthcare chaplains recognize the importance of informed referrals for spiritual care; they are essential for spiritual care in outpatient settings. Research about the prevalence and harmful effects of religious/spiritual distress underscores the importance of effective methods for identifying patients who would benefit from spiritual care. Spiritual screening is a valuable way to help healthcare colleagues identify patients who would benefit from further assessment and spiritual care. To help spiritual care programs implement spiritual screening, in this article chaplains from six organizations with successful spiritual screening describe the development and implementation of their programs. The settings for these screening programs include hospital inpatients, oncology outpatient centers, palliative care, and population health. The descriptions include the screening questions used, how they are administered, and what it took to get them implemented. Common and unique features of these six approaches to spiritual screening are discussed along with areas for future research.

The transition from inpatient spiritual care to spiritual care in outpatient, community or primary care settings presents various challenges to chaplains. We have examined how chaplaincy organizations navigate different types of pluralism to find their function and position in these settings. Secondary analysis was performed on 37 thick descriptions of chaplaincy organizations, focus group discussions with three of these organizations, and 24 client questionnaires. The results show that the organizations have to navigate religious pluralism, pluralism in health care professions, and pluralism in patient populations with their associated variety in financial arrangements. Therefore, the chaplains adjust their activities to the care landscape present in their region. They also adjust their communication style to the understanding of spirituality and the communication style of the care profession and financers they are in contact with. Through showing themselves and their work, they slowly build trust, durable working relationships, and a broader profile.

Little is known about spiritual care in small hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs), essential sources of health care in rural areas of the US. Using interview-administered surveys with spiritual care providers, we examined spiritual care services in 19 facilities, including seven small hospitals, nine CAHs, and three freestanding emergency departments, in one religiously-owned healthcare system. We identified four groups of facilities based on intensity/frequency of chaplain availability. A central finding was the variation in spiritual care services provided in these diverse facilities. Of the 16 hospitals in the sample, 11 of them (69%) offered spiritual care from professional chaplains at least three days per week. Support for staff was an important priority in all the facilities. Needs identified include virtual training and support for the spiritual care providers in these settings. Future research should replicate this study in a representative sample of hospitals that serve the rural US population.