How does the American public interact with chaplains? Evidence from a national survey.

How does the American public understand the term chaplain? What fraction interact with chaplains and in what settings? What is the content of those interactions and do care recipients find them valuable? We answer these questions with data from a nationally representative survey (N = 1096) conducted in March 2022 and interviews with a subset (N = 50) of survey recipients who interacted with chaplains. We find that people in the United States do not have a consistent understanding of the term chaplain. Based on our definition, at least 18% of Americans have interacted with a chaplain. Among those who interacted with a chaplain as defined in the survey, the majority did so through healthcare organizations. Care recipients include people who were ill and their visitors/caregivers. The most common types of support received were prayer, listening and comfort. Overall, survey respondents found chaplains to be moderately or very valuable.

Development of a Digital Health Intervention to Support Patients on a Waitlist for Orthopedic Specialist Care: Co-Design Study.

BACKGROUND: The demand for orthopedic specialist consultations for patients with osteoarthritis in public hospitals is high and continues to grow. Lengthy waiting times are increasingly affecting patients from low socioeconomic and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who are more likely to rely on public health care. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to co-design a digital health intervention for patients with OA who are waiting for an orthopedic specialist consultation at a public health service, which is located in local government areas (LGAs) of identified social and economic disadvantage. METHODS: The stakeholders involved in the co-design process included the research team; end users (patients); clinicians; academic experts; senior hospital staff; and a research, design, and development agency. The iterative co-design process comprised several key phases, including the collation and refinement of evidence-based information by the research team, with assistance from academic experts. Structured interviews with 16 clinicians (female: n=10, 63%; male: n=6, 38%) and 11 end users (age: mean 64.3, SD 7.2 y; female: n=7, 64%; male: n=4, 36%) of 1-hour duration were completed to understand the requirements for the intervention. Weekly workshops were held with key stakeholders throughout development. A different cohort of 15 end users (age: mean 61.5, SD 9.7 y; female: n=12, 80%; male: n=3, 20%) examined the feasibility of the study during a 2-week testing period. The System Usability Scale was used as the primary measure of intervention feasibility. RESULTS: Overall, 7 content modules were developed and refined over several iterations. Key themes highlighted in the clinician and end user interviews were the diverse characteristics of patients, the hierarchical structure with which patients view health practitioners, the importance of delivering information in multiple formats (written, audio, and visual), and access to patient-centered information as early as possible in the health care journey. All content was translated into Vietnamese, the most widely spoken language following English in the local government areas included in this study. Patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds tested the feasibility of the intervention. A mean System Usability Scale score of 82.7 (SD 16) was recorded for the intervention, placing its usability in the excellent category. CONCLUSIONS: Through the co-design process, we developed an evidence-based, holistic, and patient-centered digital health intervention. The intervention was specifically designed to be used by patients from diverse backgrounds, including those with low health, digital, and written literacy levels. The effectiveness of the intervention in improving the physical and mental health of patients will be determined by a high-quality randomized controlled trial.

The content and effects of interactions with chaplains.

OBJECTIVES: Chaplains provide spiritual care in a variety of settings and are an important part of palliative and supportive care teams. This study aims to describe chaplain interactions from the perspective of the recipients of care. METHODS: The study draws on data from a nationally representative survey conducted by the Gallup Organization in March 2022. RESULTS: Two main groups of recipients were identified: primary recipients and visitors/caregivers. Current typologies of chaplain activities focus on primary recipients of care, but a similar proportion of chaplain interactions takes place with visitors/caregivers. Bivariate analysis was used to compare the experiences of the chaplains' primary recipients of care to other recipients of care and the experiences of visitors/caregivers to other recipients of care. Primary recipients of care were significantly more likely to have religious interactions with the chaplain and to experience the interactions as valuable and helpful. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: This study is the first to show the groups of people - primary recipients and visitors/caregivers - who receive care from chaplains. It demonstrates how care recipients experience care differently from chaplains based on their position, which has important implications for spiritual care practice.

Chaplains in federal and state organizations: An institutional note.

Spiritually integrated care that includes collaborations among chaplains, psychologists, and other health care professionals can have a profound effect on people's lives. To facilitate this care, scholars and policy makers need to understand where chaplains work and how they are (or are not) formally a part of institutions, particularly those funded by the state and federal government. This article offers a short history of chaplaincy and provides snapshots about where chaplains work as federal and state employees in three sample states: Massachusetts, Illinois, and California. This institutional perspective is integral to understanding where and how chaplains are staffed and where collaborations are possible. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).