Patient preferences for healthcare chaplaincy: Insights from a representative population survey in Switzerland

Healthcare chaplaincy should focus on the needs of patients. This not only applies to clinical practice, but also to institutional alignments, structural and organizational prerequisites, and public health policies. It is therefore necessary to evaluate whether the delivery of spiritual care corresponds structurally to the needs of the patient population in question. Using a representative population survey (n = 1'011), this study examines the preferences of the population in the Swiss canton of Zurich regarding healthcare chaplaincy. The survey assessed attitudes toward different spiritual care models based on a hypothetical scenario. Nearly half of the population (49.3%) wished the inclusion of spiritual/religious aspects in their healthcare during hospitalization. The most frequently mentioned reasons were the improvement of healthcare. A majority (51.9%) would like to see a healthcare chaplaincy that is part of holistic healthcare and available to anyone, regardless of religious affiliation and personal worldviews.