Addressing Spiritual Suffering: The Unique Role of the Palliative Care Chaplain

The skills of a palliative care chaplain are unique in their ability to address the spiritual and existential suffering that is common in people living with serious illness. This type of suffering often magnifies the experience of physical pain or other symptoms related to their illness or treatment—and other members of the interdisciplinary team (IDT) may not be well equipped to adequately address it.

In this case review, Rev. Brian H. Lo, MDiv, APBCC-HPC, and Nathan Hashimoto, MD, FAAFP, will present patient cases that highlight a chaplain’s unique role in alleviating spiritual and existential suffering. They will make the case for the importance of the inclusion of a palliative care chaplain on the IDT, due to their ability to provide spiritual and emotional support to patients with a serious illness, and their caregivers. In addition, they will describe how the chaplain works in a transdisciplinary manner to assist the IDT.