Testing the Efficacy of Chaplaincy Care

Abstract

The current article reviews the research conducted in the United States on the clinical practice of chaplains with patients and family members, referrals to chaplains, patient satisfaction with chaplaincy services, and the limited literature on the efficacy of chaplain interventions. It also discusses the methodological limitations of studies conducted on these topics and makes suggestions for improving future chaplaincy research. The authors conclude that past studies have not adequately defined chaplain interventions, nor sufficiently documented the clinical practice of chaplains, and that more and better designed studies are needed to test the efficacy of chaplaincy interventions. The authors recommend that chaplains generate research-based definitions of spirituality, spiritual care, and chaplaincy practice; and that more research be conducted to describe the unique contributions of chaplains to spiritual care, identify best chaplaincy practices to optimize patient and family health outcomes, and test the efficacy of chaplaincy care.

KEYWORDS:

• assessment
• chaplaincy
• patient outcomes
• patient satisfaction
• religion
• spiritual care

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the John Templeton Foundation which funded this work. The authors are also indebted to the guidance and feedback gained from members in an advisory panel that was also funded by the Templeton Foundation. The members of the panel were: David Case, George Fitchett, Keith Meador, Kenneth Pargament, Richard Payne, Bruce Rapkin, and Scott Richards. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the suggestions of three anonymous reviewers.