Work-related perceptions and coping strategies of acute care chaplains: a qualitative analysis.
Stephanie L HarrisAmanda K BaileyPublished in: Journal of health care chaplaincy (2023)
Hospital-based chaplains provide crucial spiritual and emotional care to patients, families, and staff during times of intense life changes and crises. Chaplains are regularly exposed to suffering and their work may result in personal mental and emotional health challenges. To understand chaplains' perceptions of the impact of their work and methods to cope, a secondary analysis of a mixed-methods study on chaplain well-being was undertaken. Qualitative interviews were conducted with nine hospital-based chaplains and data were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results revealed that participants perceive their work as offering both trials and rewards, and their efforts to cope with trials include interpersonal support, intrapersonal resources, and spiritual resilience. Personal insights into chaplains' experiences may help inform organizational interventions to support these essential members of the care team.
Keyphrases
- healthcare
- palliative care
- quality improvement
- acute care
- mental health
- advanced cancer
- end stage renal disease
- primary care
- ejection fraction
- social support
- newly diagnosed
- public health
- chronic kidney disease
- pain management
- physical activity
- electronic health record
- climate change
- prognostic factors
- health information
- machine learning
- single cell
- chronic pain
- health insurance
- risk assessment
- affordable care act
- patient reported