What do chaplains really do? I. Visitation in the New York Chaplaincy Study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare research
• Spiritual care studies
• Sociology of religion

Background:

• Chaplaincy services are integral to holistic patient care.
• Understanding the patterns of chaplain visits provides insights into spiritual support delivery.
• Previous research has not extensively detailed visit characteristics in diverse New York healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document and analyze the distribution and duration of chaplain visits.
• To examine visit patterns based on religious affiliation, patient/family status, and healthcare setting.
• To explore the relationship between visit characteristics and patient medical status or referral status.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 34,279 clinical visit records from 13 New York healthcare institutions (1994-1996).
• Categorization of visits by religious affiliation, population served (patients, family/friends), and setting (acute/non-acute care).
• Statistical analysis of visit duration in relation to patient medical status, family presence, and referral status.

Main Results:

• Chaplains in acute care settings conducted less frequent but longer visits compared to non-acute settings.
• Visits involving patients alone were shorter than those with family present or visits with only family members.
• Average visit duration positively correlated with referral percentage (r = .65, p < .05); referred visits were significantly longer (p < .001).

Conclusions:

• Chaplaincy visit patterns vary significantly by healthcare setting and patient/family context.
• Referral status is a key factor associated with longer, potentially more intensive, chaplain visits.
• Findings offer a snapshot of chaplaincy practice in specific New York institutions during 1994-1996.