From the Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
J Am Board Fam Med. 2021 Mar-Apr;34(2):368-374. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2021.02.200396.
Health care chaplains intervene on unmet religious/spiritual (R/S) needs in health care settings that are associated with poor outcomes. Little is known about demand for their services. The purpose of this study was to describe population-level awareness and perceptions of health care chaplains and preferences for their services.
Data came from a cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of US adults ≥ 18 years of age (n = 1020). Participants were asked about preferences for chaplain services, previous experience and awareness of chaplains, and level of importance on having R/S needs and sources of meaning addressed.
Mean age of the sample was 47.6. Although the majority were aware of chaplains (85%), only 15% indicated they had previous experience with one. Adults who were unaware were younger (38 vs 49 years, < .001), male ( = .007), non-white race/ethnicity ( < .001), and had lower educational attainment ( = .01). Seventy percent reported an interest in having R/S or existential needs met in the context of health care.
The majority of the US population say they are aware of chaplains and desire their services, yet few report previous experience with them in health care. More behavioral interventions are needed to better connect patients to chaplains.
医疗保健牧师在医疗环境中干预未满足的宗教/精神（R/S）需求，这些需求与不良结果有关。他们的服务需求知之甚少。本研究的目的是描述人口水平对医疗保健牧师的认识和看法，以及对他们服务的偏好。
数据来自对美国≥18 岁成年人（n=1020）的全国代表性样本的横断面调查。参与者被问及对牧师服务的偏好、以前对牧师的了解和意识，以及对满足 R/S 需求和寻找意义来源的重要性程度。
样本的平均年龄为 47.6 岁。尽管大多数人都知道牧师（85%），但只有 15%的人表示他们以前有过接触。不知道牧师的人更年轻（38 岁与 49 岁， <.001），男性（ =.007），非白人和少数民族（ <.001），受教育程度较低（ =.01）。70%的人表示有兴趣在医疗保健背景下满足 R/S 或存在需求。
大多数美国人口表示他们知道牧师并希望获得他们的服务，但很少有人在医疗保健中报告以前与他们有过接触。需要更多的行为干预措施来更好地将患者与牧师联系起来。
