Section of Medical Ethics & Health Law, Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Department of Spiritual Care, Hospice Bardo, Hoofddorp, The Netherlands.
J Health Care Chaplain. 2022 Jan-Mar;28(1):29-40. doi: 10.1080/08854726.2020.1727602. Epub 2020 Feb 22.
Hope is an important topic in spiritual care in palliative care but the experiences of chaplains with hope have hardly been explored. The objective of this study was to explore Dutch chaplains' experiences with hope in palliative care. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, which were thematically analyzed. The 10 chaplains had a variety of ordinations: Muslim, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Humanistic, or otherwise. Participants spoke about changes in patients' hope, often implying despair and surrender, in which patients' self-reflection was pivotal. Participants felt witnesses of hope, not by offering hope, but by acknowledging patients' hope and despair while being with their patients. They criticized other professionals who, not bearing witness to these experiences, tried to offer hope to patients. We conclude that chaplains may become witnesses of hope in times of despair, which includes the (ideological) critical function of spiritual care.
希望是缓和医疗中精神关怀的一个重要主题，但牧师对希望的体验几乎从未被探讨过。本研究旨在探索荷兰牧师在缓和医疗中对希望的体验。采用半结构化访谈进行研究，并进行主题分析。10 名牧师的任命各不相同：穆斯林、新教、罗马天主教、人文主义或其他。参与者谈到了患者希望的变化，通常意味着绝望和投降，在这个过程中，患者的自我反思至关重要。参与者感到自己是希望的见证者，不是通过提供希望，而是通过承认患者的希望和绝望，同时陪伴他们的患者。他们批评了其他专业人员，这些专业人员没有见证这些经历，而是试图向患者提供希望。我们的结论是，牧师在绝望时期可能成为希望的见证者，这包括精神关怀的（意识形态）批判功能。
