Chaplain Spiritual Assessment and Its Efficacy for the Palliative Care Team at Roper St. Francis Healthcare: An Interdisciplinary-Phenomenologic Inquiry

A qualitative phenomenological research methodology was designed and implemented to answer the question: what is it that chaplains assessed which is perceived as useful for the Roper St. Francis Palliative Care team? Twelve Palliative Care practitioners, representing diverse specialties, were interviewed and surveyed to answer the research question. Evidence suggested that spiritual care and chaplaincy assessments were perceived as relevant to the Roper St. Francis’ Palliative Care praxis. However, the gathered data indicates that chaplains and Palliative Care practitioners would benefit from a more standardized/consistent spiritual assessment practice. A set of “Teaching Guidelines” and educational “Activities” was created with the goal of training chaplains in the art of doing Palliative Care spiritual assessments based on the research findings. A certified ACPE supervisor was interviewed about the viability and appropriateness of these “Teaching Guidelines” and “Activities.” This professional educator enriched the educative proposal and validated its potential to train staff chaplains as Palliative Care practitioners