Departments of Chaplain Services and Mental Health Service Line, Veterans Administration Hospital, West Haven, CT 06516, USA.
Chaplain Services, Veterans Administration Hospital, Albuquerque, NM 87108, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 1;19(15):9441. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159441.
Addressing patients' religion and spirituality (R/S) needs has been associated with positive health outcomes. However, despite receiving extensive training in spiritual assessment and care, chaplaincy services are primarily confined to inpatient settings, with few studies occurring in outpatient settings. The study sought to understand mental health providers' views about what shaped provider and patient motivation to engage in R/S discussions and seek referrals to chaplaincy services. We conducted five one-hour focus group sessions with a total of 38 staff members and thematically analyzed the resulting session and field notes. We identified four themes concerning provider knowledge and attitudes about R/S and chaplaincy services: Staff Information Needs, Staff Motivation to Discuss R/S and Refer, Patient Motivation to Use Chaplaincy Services, and Chaplain Accessibility. The study findings suggest that providers in outpatient substance use treatment clinics in the Veterans Health Administration are receptive to learning about R/S care and the possibility of expanding chaplaincy services. However, staff have misconceptions about the roles and responsibilities of chaplains. Attitudes about and experiences with R/S discussions varied. Trust and confidence in the benefits of chaplaincy services may be improved among both providers and patients by increasing chaplains' accessibility and visibility within these outpatient settings.
解决患者的宗教和精神需求（R/S）与积极的健康结果有关。然而，尽管在精神评估和护理方面接受了广泛的培训，牧师服务主要局限于住院环境，很少有研究发生在门诊环境中。本研究旨在了解心理健康提供者对影响提供者和患者参与 R/S 讨论并寻求牧师服务转介的动机的看法。我们与 38 名工作人员进行了五次一小时的焦点小组会议，并对会议和现场记录进行了主题分析。我们确定了四个与 R/S 和牧师服务相关的主题：员工信息需求、员工讨论 R/S 和转介的动机、患者使用牧师服务的动机和牧师的可及性。研究结果表明，退伍军人健康管理局门诊药物使用治疗诊所的提供者愿意了解 R/S 护理和扩大牧师服务的可能性。然而，工作人员对牧师的角色和责任存在误解。关于 R/S 讨论的态度和经验因人而异。通过增加牧师在这些门诊环境中的可及性和可见性，可能会提高提供者和患者对牧师服务益处的信任和信心。
