Patient Reported Outcomes of Pastoral Care in a Hospital Setting

This study aimed to establish whether Pastoral Care (PC) visits were an effective component of a hospitalized patient's overall health experience. Outcomes of PC visits were reported by 369 patients in 7 sites across Australia. The patient reported outcomes of PC visits included: the patients felt they could be honest with themselves, with a sense of peace, a better perspective of their illness, less anxiety, and felt more in control. Five factors of the PC visit significantly related to higher patient's overall outcomes: (a) having more Pastoral Care visits (p < 0.5 0 R 0.778, CI 0.17-1.38); (b) the patient was able to talk about what was on their mind (p < 0.01, OR1.48, CI 0.58-2.37); (c) they had something to be hopeful about (p < 0.01 OR1.18, CI 0.51-1.85); 4); the visit focused on decisions about the patient's health care (p < 0.05, OR0.70, CI 0.05-1.35); and (d) a belief in God/Higher Being (p < 0.01, OR 1.01, CI 0.43-1.71).