Feasibility and acceptability of a telephone-based chaplaincy intervention in a large, outpatient oncology center

Abstract

Purpose Telechaplaincy (the use of telecommunications and virtual technology to deliver spiritual and religious care by healthcare chaplains or other religious/spiritual leaders) is a relatively novel intervention that has increasingly been used in recent years, and especially during COVID-19. Telephone-based chaplaincy is one mode of telechaplaincy. The purpose of this study was to (1) describe telephone-based chaplaincy interventions delivered as the first point of contact to patients who screen positive for religious/spiritual concern(s) using an electronic data system, and (2) assess the feasibility and acceptability of delivering interventions in an outpatient cancer institute using this methodology. Methods Patients were screened for religious and spiritual (R/S) concern(s) using an electronic data system. Patients indicating R/S concern(s) were offered a telephone-based chaplaincy intervention and asked to complete a survey assessing acceptability of the intervention. Feasibility and acceptability data were collected. Results Thirty percent of screened patients indicated R/S concern(s). Telephone-based chaplaincy interventions were offered to 100% of eligible patients, establishing contact with 61% of eligible patients, and offering chaplaincy interventions to 48% of those patients. Survey participants report high acceptability of the offered intervention. Conclusion This is the first study examining feasibility and acceptability of telephone-based chaplaincy with oncology patients. Telephone-based chaplaincy is feasible and acceptable within an outpatient oncology setting, supporting the promise of this interventional strategy. Further research is needed to refine practices.

Spirituality, religiosity and the mental health consequences of social isolation during Covid-19 pandemic

“…This holistic care can be provided by using compassionate presence, listening and communication skills ( Puchalski et al, 2020 ), openness of the healthcare professional to the patient’s beliefs ( Taylor, 2020 ) and also using telecommunication devices (e.g. telephone-based chaplaincy) for patients in isolation ( Sprik et al, 2020 ). In addition to the genuine attention of the healthcare team, webmeetings with the loved ones and religious leaders seems to reduce loneliness and stress ( Ferrell et al, 2020 ).…”

“We Need to Learn from What we Have Learned!”: The Possible Impact of Covid-19 on the Education and Training of Chaplains

“…Chaplains will need to be taught explicitly how to use the various technologies for interacting at a distance with patients, family members and other staff and how to use personal protective equipment correctly. As more than 70 percent of respondents agreed that they would retain aspects of their online ministries when restrictions on public gatherings are lifted, it is necessary for educators and trainers to discern what kind of training is needed in order to provide the best possible spiritual care online (Sprik et al, 2020). Communication skills will need to be taught and practised in simulation sessions (Carrad et al, 2020) so that everyone understands how to see and hear clearly, but more importantly how to listen and watch carefully so the nuances of people's conversations and emotions are picked up and can be discussed and supported.…”

"The Most Effective Experience was a Flexible and Creative Attitude"—Reflections on Those Aspects of Spiritual Care that were Lost, Gained, or Deemed Ineffective during the Pandemic

“…Of the new experiences described, those using different forms of technology had the highest number of references and were nominated as most effective. Unsurprisingly new literature is already emerging on the effectiveness of telechaplaincy (Byrne & Nuzum, 2020;Sprik et al, 2020), although not all of the new forms of spiritual care included technology as was apparent in the section above. Having gained a clear picture of what was new, in this section we are interested to explore why these experiences were effective.…”