Browsing by Subject "Chaplain"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Effects of Spiritual Care on Well-being of Intensive Care Family Surrogates: A Clinical Trial
    (Elsevier, 2023) Torke, Alexia M.; Varner-Perez, Shelley E.; Burke, Emily S.; Taylor, Tracy A.; Slaven, James E.; Kozinski, Kathryn L.; Maiko, Saneta M.; Pfeffer, Bruce J.; Banks, Sarah K.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Context: Critical illness of a family member is associated with high emotional and spiritual distress and difficult medical decisions. Objectives: To determine if a semistructured spiritual care intervention improves the well-being of family surrogate decision makers in intensive care (ICU) settings. Methods: This study is a randomized, allocation-concealed, parallel group, usual care-controlled, single-blind trial of patient/surrogate dyads in five ICUs in one Midwest, academic medical center. Patients were 18 and older admitted to the ICU and unable to make medical decisions. The intervention involved proactive contact from the chaplain, scheduled, semi-structured visits, weekly follow-up, and bereavement calls. The control group received usual care. The primary endpoint was the surrogate's anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorders-7 scale), six to eight weeks after discharge. Results: Of 192 patient/surrogate dyads enrolled, 128 completed outcome assessments. At follow-up, anxiety in the intervention group was lower than control (median score 1 (interquartile range 0,6) vs. 4 (1,9), P = 0.0057). The proportion of patients with a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in anxiety of 2+ was 65.2% in the intervention group vs. 49.2% in control. The odds of an MCID remained higher in adjusted analysis (Odds Ratio 3.11, 95% confidence interval 1.18, 8.21; P = 0.0218) The adjusted odds of an MCID were higher for spiritual well-being (OR 3.79, CI 1.41,10.17; P = 0.0081). Satisfaction with spiritual care was also higher (adjusted mean 3.5 ± 0.4 vs. 2.9 ± 0.1); P < .0001). Conclusions: Proactive, semistructured spiritual care delivered by chaplains improves well-being for ICU surrogates. Results provide evidence for inclusion of chaplains in palliative and intensive care teams.
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    Feasibility and acceptability of chaplain decision coaching on Periviable resuscitation decision quality: A pilot study
    (Elsevier, 2024-02-21) Varner-Perez, Shelley E.; Hoffman, Shelley M.; Coleman-Phox, Kimberly; Bhamidipalli, Sruthi; Monahan, Patrick O.; Kuppermann, Miriam; Tucker Edmonds, Brownsyne; Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine
    Objective: To pilot test and assess the feasibility and acceptability of chaplain-led decision coaching alongside the GOALS (Getting Optimal Alignment around Life Support) decision support tool to enhance decision-making in threatened periviable delivery. Methods: Pregnant people admitted for threatened periviable delivery and their 'important other' (IO) were enrolled. Decisional conflict, acceptability, and knowledge were measured before and after the intervention. Chaplains journaled their impressions of training and coaching encounters. Descriptive analysis and conventional content analysis were completed. Results: Eight pregnant people and two IOs participated. Decisional conflict decreased by a mean of 6.7 (SD = 9.4) and knowledge increased by a mean of 1.4 (SD = 1.8). All rated their experience as "good" or "excellent," and the amount of information was "just right." Participants found it "helpful to have someone to talk to" and noted chaplains helped them reach a decision. Chaplains found the intervention a valuable use of their time and skillset. Conclusion: This is the first small-scale pilot study to utilize chaplains as decision coaches. Our results suggest that chaplain coaching with a decision support tool is feasible and well-accepted by parents and chaplains. Innovations: Our findings recognize chaplains as an underutilized, yet practical resource in value-laden clinical decision-making.
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    Spiritual Care Assessment and Intervention (SCAI) for Adult Outpatients With Advanced Cancer and Caregivers: A Pilot Trial to Assess Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Effects
    (Sage, 2022) Varner Perez, Shelley E.; Maiko, Saneta; Burke, Emily S.; Slaven, James E.; Johns, Shelley A.; Smith, Olivia J.; Helft, Paul R.; Kozinski, Kathryn; Torke, Alexia M.; Biostatistics and Health Data Science, School of Medicine
    Background: Although religion and spirituality are important to adults with cancer and their family caregivers, few studies have tested spiritual care interventions in the outpatient setting. Aim: To determine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of chaplain-delivered, semi-structured spiritual care to adult outpatients with advanced cancer and their caregivers. Design: In this pre/post pilot intervention study, board-certified chaplains utilized the Spiritual Care Assessment and Intervention (SCAI) framework during 4 individual sessions. Surveys at baseline and at 1, 6, and 12 weeks post-intervention assessed spiritual well-being, quality of life, depression, anxiety, and religious coping. Setting/participants: We enrolled U.S. adult outpatients with or without an eligible family caregiver. Eligible patients were at least 18 years old and at least 2 weeks post-diagnosis of incurable and advanced-stage lung or gastrointestinal (GI) cancer. Results: Of 82 eligible patients, 24 enrolled (29.3%); of 22 eligible caregivers, 18 enrolled (81.8%). Four planned chaplain visits were completed by 87.5% of patients and 77.8% of caregivers. All enrolled participants completed baseline surveys, and more than 75% completed follow-up surveys at 2 of 3 time points. More than 80% of patients and caregivers reported they would recommend the sessions to a friend or family member. Patients' spiritual well-being improved significantly at all timepoints compared to baseline: 1-week post (p < .006), 6-weeks post (p < .001), and 12-weeks post (p < .004). Conclusions: Spiritual care through SCAI is feasible, acceptable, and shows promise in improving spiritual well-being and other important outcomes in advanced-stage cancer patients and family caregivers. Further investigation is warranted.
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    Time to Develop Guidelines for Spiritual Care in Serious Illness
    (Mary Ann Liebert, 2024-09-06) Varner-Perez, Shelley E.; Comer, Amber R.; Fitchett, George; Medicine, School of Medicine
    In 2022, a JAMA systematic review of 342 high quality studies called for spiritual care to be a routine part of care for patients with serious illness. The review's multidisciplinary panel made several recommendations for addressing patients' and families' spiritual concerns. Despite these evidence-based recommendations, there are no clinical guidelines that inform when and how such spiritual care should be provided. We propose convening a multi-disciplinary workgroup to generate specific and actionable guidelines for incorporating spiritual care in serious illness care. We suggest three workgroup priorities: (1) determining best approaches to identifying patient and family members' spiritual care needs; (2) developing ways to integrate chaplains into routine clinical care; and (3) determining best approaches to communicate availability of spiritual care. Developing these guidelines is an imperative next step to deliver high quality, person and family-centered care.