The Effects of Contextual Factors on Hospital Chaplains: A Qualitative Study.

Critical questions arise about how contextual factors affect hospital chaplains. We interviewed 23 chaplains in-depth. Hospitals' religious or other institutional affiliation, geography, and leadership can influence chaplains both explicitly/directly and implicitly/indirectly-for example, in types/amounts of support chaplains receive, scope of chaplains' roles/activities, amounts/types of chaplains' interactions, chaplains' views of their roles and freedom to innovate, and patients', families' and other providers' perceptions/expectations regarding spiritual care.

"Reading" the room: healthcare chaplains' challenges, insights and variations in entering rooms and engaging with patients and families.

Recent research has described broad types of healthcare chaplains' activities, but many questions remain about these professionals perform these tasks, whether variations occur, and if so, in what ways. Twenty-three chaplains were interviewed in-depth. Chaplains described engaging in highly dynamic processes, involving both verbal and non-verbal interactions.

Barriers and facilitators faced by hospital chaplains in communicating with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning patients.

Objectives: Chaplains address religious, spiritual and existential issues with heterosexual patients but critical questions arise of whether chaplains do so with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) patients, too, and if so, how.

Methods: Chaplains were interviewed for ∼1 h each. Four spontaneously discussed LGBTQ issues.

Muslim patients in the U.S. confronting challenges regarding end-of-life and palliative care: the experiences and roles of hospital chaplains.

Introduction: Hospital chaplains aid patients confronting challenges related to palliative and end-of-life care, but relatively little is known about how chaplains view and respond to such needs among Muslim patients, and how well.

Methods: Telephone qualitative interviews of ~ 1 h each were conducted with 23 chaplains and analyzed.

Results: Both Muslim and non-Muslim chaplains raised issues concerning Islam among chaplains, doctors and patients, particularly challenges and misunderstandings between non-Muslim providers and Muslim patients, especially at the end-of-life, often due to a lack of knowledge of Islam, and misunderstanding and differences in perspectives.

Exiting Patients' Rooms and Ending Relationships: Questions and Challenges Faced by Hospital Chaplains.

These data, the first to explore chaplains' challenges in ending visits/relationships with patients/families, has critical implications for practice, education, and research. Questions arise about the scope/boundaries of chaplains' relationships with patients/families. Interviews were conducted with 23 chaplains who face questions/challenges regarding how to end visits and interactions, including individual conversations and ongoing relationships with patients/families.

Becoming chaplains: How and why chaplains enter the field, factors involved and implications.

Many questions arise concerning how and why chaplains enter the field. Interviews of ∼1 one hour each were conducted with 23 U.S.

When and why patients and families reject chaplains: challenges, strategies and solutions.

Hospital chaplains perform important activities, but critical questions arise about the challenges they may face in working with patients, and how these professionals respond. Thirty-three telephone interviews of approximately 1 hour and were conducted with 21 board-certified chaplains. When asked about their biggest challenges and most rewarding interactions, several chaplains described rejections by patients or families.

How hospital chaplains develop and use rituals to address medical staff distress.

Physicians and nurses face high levels of moral distress and burnout, exacerbated by the COVID-19, yet are often busy, without time for extended interventions. Hospital chaplains have recently been asked to assist staff, but many questions arise concerning whether they do so, and if so, how and when, and whether they may vary in doing so. Thirty-one telephone interviews of ∼1 ​h each were conducted with 21 board-certified chaplains to examine these and related issues.

Hospital chaplains' communication with patients: Characteristics, functions and potential benefits.

Objective: Hospital chaplains communicate with patients concerning spirituality/religion, but many aspects of their interactions have received little attention.

Methods: Telephone qualitative interviews of ~1 h each were conducted with chaplains and analyzed, drawing on grounded theory.

Results: We interviewed 21 U.