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Australian Patient Preferences for Discussing Spiritual Issues in the Hospital Setting: An Exploratory Mixed Methods
Megan C Best1, Kate Jones2, Frankie Merritt3
1Institute for Ethics and Society, University of Notre Dame Australia, Broadway, PO Box 944, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia. megan.best@nd.edu.au.
Journal of Religion and Health
|February 22, 2023
Summary
Hospital inpatients prefer discussing spirituality with pastoral care staff or doctors. Patient preferences for spiritual care discussions prioritize staff characteristics over their specific roles.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare
- Patient Experience
- Spiritual Care
Background:
- Hospital inpatients often have spiritual needs that require attention.
- While patients accept spiritual discussions with clinical staff, their preferences for who initiates these conversations are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore inpatient preferences regarding which hospital staff member should initiate discussions about spirituality.
- To identify preferred healthcare professionals for addressing patients' spiritual concerns.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 897 inpatients across six hospitals in Sydney, Australia.
- Qualitative interviews were performed with a subset of 41 patients to gain deeper insights.
Main Results:
- Pastoral care staff were the most preferred (32.9%) for discussing spiritual issues, followed by doctors (22.4%).
- Qualitative data revealed that the individual characteristics of the staff member are more significant than their professional role in patient preference.
Conclusions:
- Pastoral care staff and doctors are key figures for initiating spiritual discussions with inpatients.
- Focusing on the personal attributes and approach of healthcare providers can enhance the effectiveness of spiritual care delivery.
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