Embedding of the spiritual dimension in palliative consultation services in the Netherlands: inventory, evaluation, and recommendations

Abstract

Caregivers in the Netherlands can ask for advisory support from Palliative Consultation Teams (PCTs). It is largely unclear, though, how consultants of these teams deal with spiritual questions. This article explores in what way the spiritual dimension of palliative care is embedded in the PCTs. The coordinators of the teams were asked to fill out a questionnaire concerning the team mission statement with regard to spiritual care, their expertise in the spiritual domain, and their plans for developing this expertise. The answers to yes-or-no questions were statistically analysed by frequency counts, the answers to the open questions were analysed by peer debriefing. This study shows that the spiritual dimension is only embedded to a limited extent in the PCTs. Most respondents are of the opinion that their team lacks expertise in spiritual care, the majority of the consultants do not receive regular training in dealing with the spiritual dimension, and many plans for education and training are in a preliminary stage. These limitations, however, go together with a clear desire for education and training in dealing with the spiritual dimension. Although most teams do not clearly distinguish between psychological, social and spiritual competences, the healthcare chaplain is most often mentioned as the expert in the field of spiritual care. On the basis of the results of this study and in keeping with the quality standards for palliative care consultants, recommendations are made for the further professionalization of PCTs regarding the spiritual dimension of palliative care.