Hospital chaplains as ethical consultants in making difficult medical decisions

Background and aimsFew Polish hospitals have Hospital Ethics Committee (HECs) and the services are not always adequate. In this situation, the role of HECs, in providing, among others, ethical advice on the discontinuation of persistent therapies, may be taken over by other entities. The aim of our research was to investigate, how often and on what issues hospital chaplains are asked for ethical advice in reaching difficult medical decisions.MethodsA survey of 100 Roman Catholic chaplains was conducted, that is, at least 10% of all chaplains currently working in Polish hospitals.ResultsOf the participants, 29% confirmed receiving requests for advice in making a morally difficult medical decision. Receiving this type of request was not conditional on the place of their service, duration of their pastoral mission or HEC membership. The largest group of chaplains (21%) encounter questions concerning the ethical dilemmas associated with discontinuing persistent therapy. Patients and their families most often raise issues related to the methods of birth control, and the medical staff raise the issue of termination of pregnancy—as reported by 9% and 15% of chaplains, respectively. Most of the chaplains asked for help (79%) experience a deficit of specialist knowledge in the area of medicine or ethics.ConclusionsIn order to improve the quality of ethical consultations in Polish hospitals, in addition to further development of HECs, it is postulated to develop a system for bioethical education of chaplains.

The Dynamics of Spiritual Care Among Swedish Hospital Chaplains: Approaching the Future in the Present

This article presents a pilot study on pastors and deacons serving as hospital chaplains who provide spiritual care within a large urban hospital in Sweden. This descriptive study presents a unique contextual insight into Swedish hospital chaplains’ experiences. The purpose of this article, through the analysis of semi-structured interview material, is to describe hospital chaplains’ ability to meet medical staff and patients’ expectations. The results of the analysis are presented under three headings: chaplains in secularized spaces; chaplains filling in gaps; and cultural diversity. This will hopefully promote a conversation about the developing role of Swedish hospital chaplains in times of societal change. More research is encouraged to better detail the topic of the developing role through voices of hospital chaplains from other faith communities.

Exploring Challenges of Hospital Chaplains in Transdisciplinary Teams

Hospital chaplains experience obstacles in contributing to team objectives when a part of transdisciplinary teams. This case study explores the communication challenges of membership on transdisciplinary teams for hospital chaplains, using a fictional account based on data from a previous study. Chaplain David Howard is one of three chaplains at Grace Hospital and is assigned to the newly formed palliative care transdisciplinary team. The purpose of this team is to work towards providing quality care to patients in the upcoming integrative medicine wing. Although the team is tasked with improving the quality of life for patients, David notices that his concerns of quality care often clash with his medical colleagues' concerns about improved medical health outcomes. As the team's differing perspectives are revealed, it is evident that their communication is crucial to their ability to work together successfully.