Chaplain-Physician Interactions From the Chaplain’s Perspective: A Mixed Method Analysis

Abstract

Background: The value of healthcare chaplains to patient care is increasingly recognized. However, physicians’ understandings of the role of pastoral care have been reported to be poor, which have raised concerns about the quality of chaplain-physician interactions and their impact on patient care. These interactions, particularly from the perspective of the chaplain, have not been extensively investigated. Methods: An anonymous survey about the interactions of chaplains with physicians was sent to chaplains at a single institution, with subsequent focus group discussions of responding chaplains to obtain additional qualitative data. Results: Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from over 20 chaplains. While chaplains indicated satisfaction regarding their access to physicians, they noted a disconnect between chaplains and physicians, physicians’ unfamiliarity with the chaplain role, a sense that physicians do not always appreciate the chaplain role as significant or helpful, and structural barriers to the integration of chaplains into medical care teams. Conclusions: This study provides contemporary data on the nature of chaplain-physician interactions as reported from the perspective of chaplains. Further, these findings highlight opportunities for interventions to enhance the chaplain-physician relationship.