Powell Richard A, Emanuel Linda, Handzo George, Lantos John, Dunn Laura B, Idler Ellen L, Wilkie Diane J, Massey Kevin, Summerfelt William T, Barnes Marilyn J D, Quest Tammie E, Kestenbaum Allison, Steinhauser Karen, Fitchett George, Zollfrank Angelika, Olsen Annette K, Balboni Tracy A, Sommer Dane
Research, HealthCare Chaplaincy Network, New York, USA.
Global Health Researcher, Nairobi, Kenya.
BMC Palliat Care. 2015 Apr 18;14:12. doi: 10.1186/s12904-015-0004-4.
Despite recognition of the centrality of professional board-certified chaplains (BCC) in palliative care, the discipline has little research to guide its practices. To help address this limitation, HealthCare Chaplaincy Network funded six proposals in which BCCs worked collaboratively with established researchers. Recognizing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in the development of a new field, this paper reports on an exploratory study of project members' reflections over time on the benefits and challenges of conducting inter-disciplinary spiritual care research.
Data collection occurred in two stages. Stage 1 entailed two independent, self-reflective focus groups, organized by professional discipline, mid-way through the site projects. Stage 2 entailed end-of-project site reports and a conference questionnaire.
Eighteen professionals participated in the group discussions. Stage 1: researchers perceived chaplains as eager workers passionately committed to their patients and to research, and identified challenges faced by chaplains in learning to conduct research. Chaplains perceived researchers as passionate about their work, were concerned research might uncover negative findings for their profession, and sensed they used a dissimilar paradigm from their research colleagues regarding the 'ways of relating' to knowledge and understanding. Stage 2: researchers and chaplains noted important changes they ascribed to the interdisciplinary collaboration that were classified into six domains of cultural and philosophical understanding: respect; learning; discovery; creativity; fruitful partnerships; and learning needs.
Chaplains and researchers initially expressed divergent perspectives on the research collaborations. During the projects' lifespans, these differences were acknowledged and addressed. Mutual appreciation for each discipline's strengths and contributions to inter-professional dialogue emerged.
尽管认识到专业的董事会认证牧师（BCC）在姑息治疗中的核心地位，但该学科几乎没有研究来指导其实践。为了帮助解决这一局限性，医疗保健牧师网络资助了六个项目，其中BCC与资深研究人员合作开展工作。认识到跨学科合作在新领域发展中的重要性，本文报告了一项探索性研究，该研究探讨了项目成员随着时间推移对开展跨学科精神护理研究的益处和挑战的反思。
数据收集分两个阶段进行。第一阶段包括在项目进行到一半时，按专业学科组织两个独立的自我反思焦点小组。第二阶段包括项目结束时的现场报告和一份会议调查问卷。
18名专业人员参与了小组讨论。第一阶段：研究人员认为牧师是热心的工作者，热情地致力于他们的患者和研究工作，并指出了牧师在学习开展研究时面临的挑战。牧师们认为研究人员对他们的工作充满热情，担心研究可能会揭示出对他们职业不利的结果，并感觉到他们在与知识和理解的“关联方式”上与研究同事采用了不同的范式。第二阶段：研究人员和牧师指出了他们归因于跨学科合作的重要变化，这些变化被归类为文化和哲学理解的六个领域：尊重；学习；发现；创造力；富有成效的伙伴关系；以及学习需求。
牧师和研究人员最初对研究合作表达了不同的观点。在项目进行期间，这些差异得到了承认和解决。双方对各学科的优势以及对跨专业对话的贡献相互欣赏。
