Role Of Chaplain Research Articles

Translating Evidence into Practice: How Chaplains Used EBP to Improve the Spiritual and Emotional Well-being of Bedside Nurses.

The Pastoral Care department at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore embarked on an evidence-based practice (EBP) project to identify best practices for improving nurses' well-being. This article describes the EBP model and its application. The project resulted in increased nurse awareness of the chaplain's role, nurses' confidence in using chaplain services, and nurses' well-being. The project's success indicates the value of chaplains learning an EBP model and incorporating it into their practice.

Strengthening and expanding cross-cultural care: The strategic role of chaplains in palliative care.

Strengthening and expanding cross-cultural care: The strategic role of chaplains in palliative care.

Caregiving During COVID and Beyond: The Experience of Workplace Stress and Chaplain Care Among Healthcare Workers.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) experience occupational stressors that negatively impact emotional well-being and exacerbate turnover intentions. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resultant acute care turnover rates have reached an all-time high. In addition, occupational stressors lead to psychological stress, including moral distress, defined as the dissonance between perceiving what the right course of action is and encountering an obstacle to acting accordingly. This qualitative descriptive study explored the perceptions of patient-facing HCWs in acute care hospital settings regarding the workplace stressors they encountered and the role of hospital-based chaplains in addressing emotional well-being and stress with 33 interviews. Findings suggest that HCW frequently experience work-related moral distress and seek relief by interacting with hospital chaplains. Chaplain care, common in American healthcare facilities for the spiritual care of patients, is an easily accessible resource to HCWs. Facilitating chaplain-HCW interactions may be an effective strategy for responding to moral distress and improving healthcare workers' well-being.

Roles of Chaplains and Clergy in Spiritual Care for African Americans in Hospice: A Pilot Study.

Spiritual care is recognition of patient and caregiver spiritual/religious needs and attention to those needs. Caregivers of African American hospice patients are more likely to report worse emotional/religious support. Yet, spiritual care delivery and roles of community clergy and chaplains for African American hospice patients are not well understood. Examine who provides spiritual care to African American hospice patients and caregivers. Partnering with large, urban/suburban community hospice, we interviewed caregivers of deceased African American hospice patients (n = 12), their clergy (n = 3) and chaplains (n = 5). Using a phenomenological qualitative study design, we coded transcripts and deceased patient chart data and conducted thematic analysis to identify themes. Community clergy and chaplains tend to not interact and provide different aspects of emotional, religious and spiritual support to hospice patients and families. Clergy and chaplains agreed that rapport and openness of the patient were main factors in meeting spiritual care needs. Clergy provided interaction with a trusted person and connection to church, congregational support, religious beliefs/theology, and practices. Chaplains focused on present needs and issues of death and dying. Clergy and chaplains have distinct, complementary roles in providing spiritual care to African American hospice patients and families. Both are needed to provide desired spiritual care for African American hospice patients and their caregivers. Robust spiritual care programs need to ensure chaplains have sufficient time to spend with patients and families and incorporate collaboration, handoffs and integrated processes for clergy and chaplains. Research is needed on effectively including clergy in hospice spiritual care delivery.

Nursing and Chaplain Partnership for Pain Management: A Survey of Nurses

PurposePain is a universal experience for hospitalized patients, with physical, psychological, spiritual, and cognitive implications. As hospitals seek to identify nonpharmaceutical options for managing acute pain, the role of chaplains has been overlooked. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of nurses regarding chaplain involvement in pain management. MethodsA survey was distributed to nurses to determine if they would request spiritual care services in various patient and family scenarios. Respondents were dichotomized into two groups based on self-report of whether they would contact a chaplain for patients with uncontrolled pain. Differences between groups were calculated using chi-square tests. ResultsOf 45 nurse respondents, 27 (60%) reported they would not contact a chaplain for patients with uncontrolled pain. Nurses who would consult the chaplain for pain management did not differ from nurses who would not consult the chaplain in terms of their own religious identification, knowledge of patient religious documentation in the medical record, or past experience with chaplain services. ConclusionsStudy findings suggest that nurses’ perceptions of chaplain involvement in pain management must be addressed prior to implementing a new hospital pain management protocol. Clinical ImplicationsWhen developing and implementing new pain protocols based on holistic care of patients, hospitals should ensure that nursing staff are educated on when and how to incorporate chaplains as part of a holistic approach to managing acute pain.

Healthcare chaplains' perspectives on working with culturally diverse patients and families.

Considering the ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity in the U.S., we aim to explore the experiences of healthcare chaplains as they provide culturally sensitive care to diverse patients and their families. This is a qualitative study. Individual interviews were conducted with 14 healthcare chaplains recruited from 3 U.S. chaplaincy organizations. Thematic analysis with constant comparison yielded 6 themes in the chaplains' experiences: (1) the diverse roles of chaplains; (2) their high levels of comfort in working with diverse populations, attributed to cultural sensitivity and humility training; (3) cues for trust-building; (4) common topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion discussed; (5) gaps in chaplaincy training; and (6) the importance of collaboration and negotiation with healthcare professionals to accommodate cultural needs. This research highlights the valuable role of chaplains in providing culturally sensitive care and suggests areas for improving chaplaincy training and education to better serve diverse patient populations.

The University Chaplain: An Often Unrecognised Resource in Suicide Prevention-Initial Qualitative Results from Exploratory Research into the Roles of University Chaplains at One Australian University.

University chaplains are often unrecognised as resources in suicide prevention. This exploratory article highlights the valuable contributions university chaplains at one Australian university make to suicide prevention. Three overarching themes related to the contributions of university chaplains to suicide prevention were generated: (1) person-centred care; (2) the role of university chaplains in suicide prevention; and (3) professional development. Of particular note is that university chaplains actively contribute to all three phases of the suicide prevention framework: prevention, intervention, and postvention.

Деятельность судовых священников по организации библиотек на кораблях Российского императорского флота на рубеже XIX-XX вв.

The activity of the navy chaplains outside the framework of worship is still a little-studied aspect of the service of the Orthodox clergy in the navy. This article attempts, based on the analysis of various written sources, to reconstruct the activities of representatives of the naval clergy in organizing libraries on the ships of the Russian Imperial Navy in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. This is one of the least studied areas of ministry of navy chaplains. The authors, relying on personal sources, office materials and periodicals, analyze the existing practice in the fleet of creating and completing ship libraries, their types and features of functioning, and also determine the role of navy chaplains in these processes. It is important to note that many sources are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. The authors came to the conclusion that, despite the frequent lack of initiative on the part of the officers or even with a certain opposition, the navy chaplains were directly related to the organization of both church and sailor's libraries. Some clerics acted quite effectively in this field, but they could not significantly change the general situation that had developed with librarianship on the ships of the Russian Imperial Navy.

Which U.S. Congregational Leaders Also Work as Chaplains? A National Overview

Historically, congregational leaders did the work of chaplaincy. In the past century, the professions have diverged and chaplaincy has diversified in form and function. We ask which congregational leaders currently also serve as chaplains to identify the extent of overlap between these two types of religious leaders in the contemporary United States. We analyze data from the National Survey of Religious Leaders (NSRL), a nationally representative sample of 1,600 clergy collected in 2019 to 2020, to determine how many congregational leaders are also working or volunteering as chaplains. Though some overlap exists between the occupational roles of chaplains and congregational leaders, our study shows that they are largely distinct professions, with only 17.1% of primary congregational leaders also working or volunteering as chaplains. Catholic primary leaders and Hispanic primary leaders are more likely than their peers to also work as chaplains. Researchers studying each group should be attentive to the ways these professional groups overlap and diverge, and the corresponding possible confusion among religious practitioners and the general public. Theological educators should consider the specific training and support needs of the portion of clergy who serve as chaplains alongside of their congregational positions.

Hospital Chaplains, Spirituality, and Pain Management: A Qualitative Study

BackgroundNurses include spirituality in holistic nursing care of persons in pain. However, there is a lack of awareness of spiritual suffering and the role of chaplains and spiritual care in pain management. AimThe purpose of this pilot is to report hospital chaplains’ qualitative report of spirituality and pain management in an acute care setting. MethodThis qualitative inquiry pilot involved guided interviews of hospital chaplains on their role in pain management. A thematic analysis was performed. ResultsSpiritual suffering in people in pain was the dominant theme. This included spiritual fear, and nurses suffering as a witness to pain. Chaplain interventions was a theme that involved spiritual support to persons in pain. ConclusionsSpiritual suffering can occur in people in pain. An early consultation with hospital chaplains can augment pain management. A person in pain may experience spiritual suffering and a chaplain can provide the appropriate assessment and intervention.

Meaning in Life in Late-Stage Parkinson's Disease: Results from the Care of Late-Stage Parkinsonism Study (CLaSP) in Six European Countries.

The Care of Late-Stage Parkinsonism (CLaSP) study is a longitudinal, multicentre, prospective cohort study to assess the needs and provision of care for people with late-stage Parkinson's disease and their caregivers in six European countries. As a cross-sectional study within the CLaSP study, 509 people with Parkinson's disease completed the "Schedule-for-Meaning-in-Life-Evaluation" (SMiLE) questionnaire. We compared the results to those of a representative sample of healthy participants (n = 856). People with late-stage Parkinson's disease reported family, partnership and spirituality as the greatest areas of importance. Overall, they had lower SMiLE indices compared to healthy participants. People with late-stage Parkinson's disease rated the importance of core meaning in life areas (namely family, social relations and health) as significantly lower than the representative cohort and they also rated satisfaction as significantly lower in most areas. In conclusion, people with late-stage Parkinson's disease do have areas where they can find meaning, such as family, partnership and spirituality. However, they indicate a lack of fulfilment of their individual MiL, reflected by low satisfaction rates in the majority of meaning in life categories. The need for spiritual support for people with Parkinson's disease indicates the important role of chaplains to help people with Parkinson's disease maintain meaning in life.

A Healthcare Chaplain’s Guide to Mental Health Chaplaincy for Geriatric Patients in the United States

The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the US Department of Defense (DoD) evaluated the expanding roles of chaplains in mental health and identified a prevalent need for additional training among healthcare chaplains. The literature revealed that chaplains were lacking the skillsets needed to effectively care for patients with mental health disorders. A gap remains in the literature regarding the reported level of mental health training and preparedness of chaplains who minister to geriatric patients with mental health disorders. This quantitative study used a questionnaire instrument to survey 26 chaplains in the United States. The participants were experienced healthcare chaplains working in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The findings confirmed the need for additional training and preparedness among chaplains who minister to geriatric patients with mental health disorders. The results and empirical literature informed the development of a practical guide that includes ways to meet these challenges and assist chaplains in providing comprehensive delivery of competent care to patients.

The roles of chaplains in dispelling cancer myths in Nigeria: A narrative review.

The epidemiological burden of cancer in Africa, and Nigeria in particular, has been increasing significantly over the past few decades due to exposure to numerous risk factors as well as belief in various myths and misconceptions. Chaplains can play crucial roles in dispelling these myths and misconceptions about cancer among people. Therefore, this study seeks to review the epidemiological burden, risk factors, and myths relating to cancer and the roles of chaplains in dispelling cancer myths in Nigeria. This paper is a narrative review that relied on secondary sources obtained through a thorough literature search of relevant articles on multiple electronic databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. Published books, journal articles, and other published materials that were written in English were consulted in line with the objectives of this study. Both theoretical and empirical papers were used for this review. Cancers are associated with risk factors including exposure to chemicals, ultraviolet radiation, harmful tobacco and alcohol use, exposure to human papillomavirus (HPV), and these factors may vary with age, cultural beliefs (myths and misconceptions), and socioeconomic factors among others. Chaplains, however, have crucial roles to play in dispelling cancer myths in Nigeria. These roles include counseling, advocacy, education, and psycho-social support which may be limited by challenges such as spiritual ambiguity, inadequate training of healthcare providers and limited time/resources. These challenges can be addressed by training healthcare providers and incorporating chaplain practice in Nigerian healthcare. The role of chaplains in dispelling cancer myths in Nigeria is crucial despite the numerous challenges. Hence, an urgent address of these challenges will be instrumental in ensuring effective chaplain practice in Nigeria.

University Chaplaincy as Relational Presence: Navigating Understandings of Good and Effective Chaplaincy in UK Universities

Chaplains are embedded in the culture and life of many universities and are a key part of university support for religious students. Yet university chaplaincy has rarely been researched by social scientists. This article explores the role of chaplains and chaplaincy in universities in the United Kingdom (UK), investigating understandings of what makes for good and effective chaplaincy among the different groups involved or working with chaplains. Case study research in five universities, comprising interviews with chaplains, university managers and representatives from religious bodies, and a survey of students, reveals an approach to chaplaincy upon which many participants agree, based around a combination of relational skills and presence. Conceptualizing this as relational presence, the authors argue that relational presence reflects the UK’s three-dimensional religious landscape, where religion is regarded as “vicarious,” and reflects the values of young people who attend universities.

The Impact of Faith-Based Pastoral Care in Decreasingly Religious Contexts: The Australian Chaplaincy Advantage in Critical Environments

This article considers the contribution of faith-based chaplains who provide holistic pastoral and spiritual care within critical environments such as the military, first responders, and hospitals. The contribution of faith-based chaplains can sometimes be taken for granted or not properly understood, particularly in some Western countries which are currently experiencing a decline in religiosity. Following on from a previous paper regarding chaplaincy utilization (Layson et al. 2022), this article presents an alternative argument to the secularist-humanist perspective by noting five ways by which the faith based chaplaincy model provides best practice service and builds a capability advantage for organizations that engage faith-based chaplaincy services. The first section discusses faith-based chaplaincy and organizational holistic care; the second section considers the role of faith-based chaplains—much of which is largely unknown and poorly appreciated; the third section considers the unique capability of faith-based chaplains to provide spiritual and religious care to those of faith and for those of none; the fourth section explores how faith-based chaplains can leverage the positive impact of religious organizations to provide additional low-cost resources for other organizations and their staff; and lastly, the operational advantage of faith-based chaplains on the world stage is considered, particularly in light of culturally and linguistically diverse populations to whom religiosity is increasingly important.

Muslim patients in the U.S. confronting challenges regarding end-of-life and palliative care: the experiences and roles of hospital chaplains

IntroductionHospital chaplains aid patients confronting challenges related to palliative and end-of-life care, but relatively little is known about how chaplains view and respond to such needs among Muslim patients, and how well.MethodsTelephone qualitative interviews of ~ 1 h each were conducted with 23 chaplains and analyzed.ResultsBoth Muslim and non-Muslim chaplains raised issues concerning Islam among chaplains, doctors and patients, particularly challenges and misunderstandings between non-Muslim providers and Muslim patients, especially at the end-of-life, often due to a lack of knowledge of Islam, and misunderstanding and differences in perspectives. Due to broader societal Islamophobia, Muslim patients may fear or face discrimination, and thus not disclose their religion in the hospital. Confusion can arise among Muslim patients and families about what their faith permits regarding end-of-life care and pain management, and how to interpret and apply their religious beliefs in hospitals. Muslims hail from different countries, but providers may not fully grasp how these patients’ cultural practices may also vary. Chaplains can help address these challenges, playing key roles in mediating tensions and working to counteract Muslim patients’ fears, and express support. Yet many Muslim immigrants don’t know what “chaplaincy” is and/or prefer a chaplain of their own faith. Muslim chaplains can play vital roles, having expertise that can heighten trust, and educating non-Muslim colleagues, providing in-depth understanding of Islam (e.g., highlighting how Islam is related to Judaism and Christianity) and correcting misconceptions among colleagues. Hospitals without a Muslim chaplain can draw on local community imams.ConclusionsThese data highlight how mutual sets of misunderstandings, especially concerning patients’ and families’ decisions about end-of-life care and pain management, can emerge among Muslim patients and non-Muslim staff that chaplains can help mediate. Non-Muslim chaplains and providers should seek to learn more about Islam. Muslim patients and families may also benefit from enhanced education and awareness of chaplains’ availability and scope, and of pain management and end-of-life options. These data thus have several critical implications for future practice, education, and research.

Spirituality and Chaplaincy Supporting ICU Survivorship: A Practical Overview and Strategy for Clinicians

This overview of the current literature of spirituality and health and the role of professional chaplains specifically considers intensive care unit survivorship, instead of the more common focus on end-of-life circumstances or family support on an ICU. The purpose is to enhance clinicians' understanding and use of spiritual resources for patient care and outcomes. It is a product of comprehensive daily monitoring of the Medline database from 2002 to 2022 for all publications indexed by the terms "spiritual," "religion," and "chaplain." A case will be used throughout, to illustrate spirituality dynamics. Also, a practical strategy, developed by the authors from clinical experience, will be outlined for clinicians' spiritual support of patients, requiring little time or specialized knowledge and avoiding the blurring of professional roles and boundaries, while potentially yielding clinical benefits suggested in the medical literature.

An Inquiry into the Role of Chaplains in Seventh-Day Adventist Schools in Uganda

This study is approached with a presupposition that Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) school chaplains in Uganda are engaged in discipleship work. The paper sought to understand the role of chaplains in SDA secondary schools in Uganda. This study adopted a qualitative research approach. Data were collected by conducting interviews. A purposive sample of 10 secondary schools was selected from a population of 96 secondary schools. These schools were SDA Church-operated, and others were privately owned but affiliated to the SDA Church in Uganda. Data were analyzed using logical cross case-analysis. The findings indicated that SDA school chaplains in Uganda perform the role of school pastors by proselytizing. However, they struggle with issues of nurture and retention due to the porous nature of their converts.

The Role and Value of Chaplains in an Australian Ambulance Service: A Comparative Study of Chaplain and Paramedic Perspectives

Chaplains are embedded in several ambulance services across Australia, however as Australia’s religiosity is currently in decline and questions are being asked about retaining chaplains, little is actually known about their role and value within Ambulance services. The aim of this paper is to present the key findings from interviews with chaplains about their role and value of being ambulance chaplains. These findings are then compared with those of paramedics derived from an earlier phase of this study. Thirteen chaplains participated in semi-structured interviews, and data were analysed using framework analysis. The results indicated that ambulance chaplains provided paramedic-centred emotional and spiritual care through proactively and reactively supporting paramedics in their work. Chaplains saw value in their relational approach which facilitated trust and access, did not seek to ‘fix’ or diagnose but instead offered physical and emotional presence, and promoted supportive conversations. Chaplains and paramedics valued operationally trained and equipped ambulance chaplains who provided a relational, around the clock, ‘frontline’ staff support presence in paramedic workplaces, regardless of the paramedic’s personal religious/spiritual beliefs.

Exploring the Perceptions Surrounding Hospital Chaplains in Patient Care and Healing.

The authors distributed a questionnaire to various hospital staff to explore perceptions surrounding the role of chaplains in patient care and healing through assessing opinions, beliefs, and knowledge. Results revealed a poor understanding of the role of the hospital chaplain in the UK. The authors therefore advocate education programs to increase awareness of the varied role of the hospital chaplain in fulfilling patient spiritual needs to increase referral practices, leading to improved patient outcomes.