Studies reveal role of spiritual care in treating people facing serious illnesses

Two of six studies released today, reveal important advances in understanding the role of spiritual care in treating people facing serious illness, including cancer and ALS. Until now, no empirical data has existed on the contributions of chaplains in health care.

The studies were released at the inaugural conference of HealthCare Chaplaincy Network (HCCN), taking place March 31 – April 3, 2014, at the New York Academy of Medicine.

"This is the first large-scale attempt at forming an evidence base for chaplaincy effectiveness in health care," said the Rev. Eric J. Hall, HCCN President and CEO. "This conference is the launch pad for a rigorous new field of long-overdue research."

Research Highlights:

-- Researchers analyzed the influence of spiritual care in the healthcare setting in order to understand the frequency and helpfulness of chaplain visits for over 300 oncology patients. The data from this study is expected to aid in furthering the understanding of how spiritual care influences medical outcomes, patient well-being and medical decision making, particularly at the end of life. Hospital Chaplaincy and Medical Outcomes at the End of Life, Dana Farber Cancer Institute (Boston), Project Director, Tracy Balboni, MD, Project Chaplain, Angelika Zollfrank, BCC

-- Generating 348 taxonomy items, the study begins to explain how spiritual care is helpful and reveals a common language, list of activities, effects and outcomes. The research also shows that professional chaplains play a major role in helping patients express their wishes about their care and advance care planning. "What do I do" – Developing a Taxonomy of Chaplaincy Activities and Interventions for Spiritual Care in ICU Palliative Care, Advocate Charitable Foundation & Advocate Health Care (Chicago), Project Director, Kevin Massey, BCC, Co-Principal Investigator, William Summerfelt, PhD