Spiritual Care
Spiritual care contributes to the well-being of patients and the people who matter to them, by addressing spiritual and existential pain. Though not all patients are affiliated with formal religious structures and systems, many still struggle with questions about miracles, spiritual etiologies of disease, and how to make meaning out of suffering.
Chaplains provide expert interventions to explore these areas and bring meaning and healing - for patients, for the people who matter to them, and for the palliative care team.
This toolkit provides online courses and tools for spiritual care providers to meet the needs of patients with serious illness. Leaders will find information about integrating professional spiritual care into their palliative care programs.
What’s in the Toolkit
Foundational Chaplaincy Research and Resources
Research and tools on the impact and implementation of professional spiritual care, in general and specifically within palliative care.
The National Consensus Project (NCP) Clinical Practice Guidelines are the national standard for high quality palliative care. National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care, 2018.
From the Supportive Care Coalition. A practical model for interdisciplinary palliative care clinicians to attend to the spiritual concerns of patients.
An interactive document about current research, trends, and the importance of access to professional spiritual care.
Hall, E., Hughes, B. P., & Handzo, G. (2019). Time to follow the evidence–Spiritual care in health care. Ethics, Medicine and Public Health, 9, 45-56.
Discussion of the various ways spiritual care can help all members of the interdisciplinary team navigate sensitive conversations with patients living with a serious illness.
1) What is spirituality? 2) What methodological and measurement issues are most salient for research in palliative care? And 3) What is the evidence relating spirituality and health outcomes?
1) How do we assess spirituality? 2) How do we intervene on spirituality in palliative care? And 3) How do we train health professionals to address spirituality in palliative care?
Watch this CAPC on-demand webinar, I Don't Know What It Is You Do: The Role and Scope of the Chaplain on the Palliative Care Team.
Talk given by Denise Hess, MDiv, BCC-PCHAC (Executive director of the Supportive Care Coalition) for the Association for Professional Chaplains.
Marin DB, Sharma V, Sosunov E, Egorova N, Goldstein R, Handzo G. 2015. The relationship between chaplain visits and patient satisfaction. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy. 21 (1):14-24.
Astrow, A. B., Kwok, G., Sharma, R. K., Fromer, N., & Sulmasy, D. P. (2018). Spiritual Needs and Perception of Quality of Care and Satisfaction With Care in Hematology/Medical Oncology Patients: A Multicultural Assessment. J Pain Symptom Manage, 55(1), 56-64 e51. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2017.08.009
Guidance for advocacy groups, professional health care associations, health care administrators, clinical teams, clients, family caregivers, researchers, government and other funders, faith communities, spiritual care professionals and other stakeholders internationally on the indicators of quality and experience of spiritual care in health care. Healthcare Chaplaincy Network.
Hiring and Human Resources
Sample job descriptions, interview questions, and other tools for hiring and supporting professional chaplains within palliative care programs.
In this on-demand webinar, palliative care team administrators and clinicians share the ins and outs of hiring, managing, and mentoring palliative care chaplains.
A summary of tips and suggestions for integrating spiritual care on the palliative care team, from CAPC's virtual workshop.
Sample interview questions when hiring a chaplain.
From the Board of Chaplaincy Certification, Inc, affiliate of the Association of Professional Chaplains.
Shared by University of California San Francisco.
Serves as a guide in programs where the chaplain is structurally employed by the Spiritual Care department and dedicated to the Palliative Care program.
Basic knowledge and competencies for all dedicated Palliative Care team members. Shared by MemorialCare.
Palliative Care Chaplaincy Tools
Tools for spiritual care providers working within palliative care teams.
Definition of palliative care and how it improves quality of life for patients living with a serious illness, and their families.
Certification in hospice and palliative care is available through the the Association for Professional Chaplains (APC)
Structured tool for coordinating the palliative care team before a family meeting. Shared by MemorialCare.
Structured tool for coordinating the Palliative Care team before a family meeting. Shared by Mount Sinai Hospital.
This on-demand Master Clinician session discusses a role for spiritual constructs for the idt workflow when the course isn’t clear.
A spiritual framework to utilize the Honor Commandment in palliative care decision-making.
Information from the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab on planning, staffing, and delivering telechaplaincy services.
Hire and onboard your staff, manage program operations, and ensure a healthy high-functioning team using this toolkit.
Monograph on processes that promote team health. Center to Advance Palliative Care, 2014.
An interdisciplinary team case discussion model for facilitators.
An interdisciplinary team case discussion model for participants.
Talk given by Denise Hess, MDiv, BCC-PCHAC (Executive director of the Supportive Care Coalition) for the Association for Professional Chaplains.
Training and Certification
Online courses for palliative care chaplaincy. California State University.
MS in Palliative Care. University of Maryland Interdisciplinary Training
Certification in hospice and palliative care is available through the the Association for Professional Chaplains (APC)
Certification in hospice & palliative care.
Advance Care Planning
Resources to help chaplains discuss their patients’ goals and values for purposes of advance care planning.
Conversation prompts and phrases to avoid in POLST advance care planning discussions. Materials used with permission from the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, CoalitionCCC.org.
Detailed conversation guide to improve health care professionals' comfort levels having POLST conversations. Materials used with permission from the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, CoalitionCCC.org.
Learn techniques to help patients and their caregivers plan for the future, both during the early stages of a serious illness and as a disease progresses.
Lee, A. C., McGinness, C. E., Levine, S., O'Mahony, S., & Fitchett, G. (2018). Using Chaplains to Facilitate Advance Care Planning in Medical Practice. JAMA Intern Med, 178(5), 708-710. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.7961
Communicating with Patients and Caregivers
Communication tools and tips to address spiritual distress and goals of care.
One-page guides with actionable tips for conversations with patients with serious illness. Free to download, print and share with others.
Structured VitalTalk conversation map for late goals of care conversations.
Tool for goals of care conversations that include spirituality.
Supporting patients and families that are hoping for a miracle. American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2014.
Spiritual Screening
Standardized spiritual screening and assessment tools.
Assessment for suffering, distress, disconnection, or spiritual pain. Supportive Care Coalition.
King, S. D., Fitchett, G., Murphy, P. E., Pargament, K. I., Harrison, D. A., & Loggers, E. T. (2017). Determining best methods to screen for religious/spiritual distress. Supportive Care in Cancer, 25(2), 471-479.
Spiritual Assessment
Sample: Structured tool for assessing spiritual distress and common interventions.
Sample: Structured tool for assessing spiritual distress and common interventions.
Sample: Structured tool for assessing spiritual distress and common interventions.
Sample: Structured tool for assessing spiritual distress and common interventions
Sample assessments for emotional pain, psychiatric pain, spiritual pain, and familial pain. Implementation Guide excerpts shared by The Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm/Avila Institute of Gerontology’s Palliative Care.
Shields, M., Kestenbaum, A., & Dunn, L. B. (2015). Spiritual AIM and the work of the chaplain: A model for assessing spiritual needs and outcomes in relationship. Palliative & supportive care, 13(1), 75-89.
Faculty
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Rabbi Edith M. Meyerson, DMin, BCC
Assistant Professor, Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
Associate Director, … -
Katy Hyman, MDiv, BCC
Director of Adult Palliative Care, Pediatric Palliative Care and Perinatal Connections MemorialCare…
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Allison Kestenbaum, BCC-PCHAC, ACPE
Supervisor of Spiritual Care Services and Clinical Pastoral Education, UC San Diego Health
Cambia So… -
George Handzo, BCC, APBCC, CSSBB
Director, Health Services Research & Quality,
HealthCare Chaplaincy Network