I see you: a Chaplain case study on existential distress and transdisciplinary support.

In the setting of major disease progression coupled with active pain, hospitalized patients may become disconnected from their metanarratives and personal grounding. Transdisciplinary palliative care teams are poised to foster patients' connection with their metanarratives by collaborating across areas of expertise to establish goals of care and manage total pain. This case study demonstrates: (1) the unique value of the palliative Chaplain in journeying with the patient through existential distress towards self-discovery, and (2) the role of the palliative chaplain in encouraging a transdisciplinary approach to total pain within a palliative care team.

Specialty Palliative Care in a Code Blue: An Unexpected Role.

Resuscitation codes in the hospital are intensely stressful events that impact the goals and outcomes of patients. Regardless of the outcome of the code, the event itself can be traumatic for the patient, surrogate decision makers, and health care team. The unique skills of each interdisciplinary specialty palliative care team member can assist with each step of the code to improve support and minimize suffering. We discuss a case of a hospitalized patient for whom a code blue was called and the roles of each specialty palliative care team member before, during, and after the event.

Second Victims: Aftermath of Gun Violence and Faith-Based Responses.

In the aftermath of gun violence, those impacted and left to mourn are regarded as second victims. These individuals experience and are often burdened by mental and physical sequelae while attempting to cope with the trauma. The objective of this report is to highlight the support and resources of congregational and faith-based leaders available in an urban city with a high prevalence of gun violence. We describe information and insights presented during a symposium uniting medical-religious partners to discuss actions and programs to address trauma from gun violence. Faith-based persons from various Abrahamic religions, ranging from imams to reverends to hospital-based chaplains, discussed key strategies to allocate resources to second victims. These strategies included religious rituals meant to cope with trauma, memorials, and providing insight into resiliency for difficult times. Resources were identified for both within the hospital and community. Such medical-religious resources should be considered for future interventions which aim to attenuate the consequences of gun violence for second victims.