Pastoral partners

To test the hypothesis that patients will receive a higher quality of holistic care through a "joint venture" of nurses and chaplains than they will from each individual working independently, a nursing unit of 30 medical/surgical beds was chosen for a six-month pilot study. Part of the experiment included the use of a small index card, which the nurse filled out with the patient's name, religion, and church. The card also included two questions. The first was directed to the patient: Do you want your church notified? The second was for the nurse: Would this patient benefit from a pastoral visit? The ward clerk gave the card to the assigned chaplain each day, and the chaplain saw those patients who the nursing staff believed would benefit from a visit. The nurses and chaplains developed a mutual respect for, and understanding of, each other's complementary role in the patients' care and, thus, became more competent in their approach to patients. The admissions clerk could become a part of the "joint venture" by asking the patient if he or she would like a church notified and wished to receive the sacraments (if Catholic). The nursing staff would then need only to assess whether the patient would benefit from a pastoral visit. Through this cooperation, the chaplain would be free to minister to patients with identified needs, especially to those most in need of care.