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This study utilized an actual participant qualitative field research paradigm to collect data for examining and analyzing the work of a clinical Buddhist chaplain within a rural, Catholic medical center in the US. Quantitative data collected from patient visits (n=1,329; total visits (tv.)=1,443) provided information for measuring the spiritual care needs of patients and the efficiency and consistency of a clinical Buddhist chaplain’s work. The results demonstrate that prayers and pastoral counseling for Catholic and Protestant patients (n=1,265; 95.17%) comprised the dominant work content of a clinical Buddhist chaplain. This study suggests that traditional Christian chaplaincy is practiced even by Buddhist chaplains in a rural, religious medical institution.

Abstract. Background. The continued spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains an international public health emergency, resulting in a significant global disease burden. The long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans and the long-term prognosis of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) after discharge remain unclear. We aimed to assess the quality of life (QoL) and sequelae in patients with COVID-19 after discharge from the hospital by conducting multiple follow-up visits to understand the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 on patients' health and its possible influencing factors. Methods. COVID-19 patients discharged from Huoshenshan Hospital (Wuhan, China) between February 15 and April 5, 2020, were followed up at 6, 9, and 12 months after discharge. They completed questionnaires on postdischarge QoL and sequelae under the guidance of medical staff with professional training. The demographic and clinical characteristics of the COVID-19 patients were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A generalized estimating equation model was used to analyze the QoL-related factors. The χ2 test (or Fisher exact test) and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the sequelae and influencing factors. Results. A total of 175 patients participated in at least 1 follow-up visit, and 120 completed all 3 follow-up visits. Patients diagnosed with severe and critically ill COVID-19 had worse mental conditions (χ2 = 7.653, P = 0.022) than those with the nonsevere type (not severe or critical) and were more likely to feel fatigued (χ2 = 4.836, P = 0.028). Female patients had a higher risk of sleep disturbance (χ2 = 10.026, P = 0.002) and dyspnea (χ2 = 5.672, P = 0.017) and had more difficulty returning to their original work and life (χ2 = 8.922, P = 0.003) than male patients. Patients with diabetes had a worse appetite (χ2 = 4.669, P = 0.031) and were more prone to sleep disturbance (χ2 = 4.417, P = 0.036) after discharge. The proportion of patients with at least 1 sequela increased from 29.76% (50/168) at 6 months to 51.11% (69/135) at 9 months (χ2 = 14.305, P < 0.001). Compared with the nonsevere type, patients diagnosed with severe and critically ill COVID-19 had an odds ratio (OR) of 4.325 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.215–15.401) for memory decline. Female patients had an OR of 4.632 (95% CI, 1.716–12.501) for joint or muscle pain. Patients with hypertension had an OR of 3.014 (95% CI, 1.193–7.615) for joint or muscle pain. Conclusion. One year after discharge, there were still some patients with varying degrees of decline in QoL and sequelae, which occurred in all follow-up visits. Moreover, QoL and sequelae after discharge were related to sex, clinical classification of COVID-19, and underlying diseases.

After spinal cord injury (SCI), normally innocuous visceral or somatic stimuli can trigger uncontrolled reflex activation of sympathetic circuitry, causing pathological dysautonomia. We show that remarkable structural remodeling and plasticity occur within spinal autonomic circuitry, creating abnormal sympathetic reflexes that promote dysautonomia. However, when mice are treated early after SCI with human-equivalent doses of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug gabapentin (GBP), it is possible to block multi-segmental excitatory synaptogenesis and abolish sprouting of autonomic neurons that innervate immune organs and sensory afferents that trigger pain and autonomic dysreflexia (AD). This "prophylactic GBP" regimen decreases the frequency and severity of AD and protects against SCI-induced immune suppression. These benefits persist even 1 month after stopping treatment. GBP could be repurposed to prevent dysautonomia in at-risk individuals with high-level SCI.

This study presents the findings of a statistical analysis exploring the correlation between supply and demand of clinical Buddhist chaplaincy in the US healthcare system. Quantitative data collected from the field (n=993; total visits(tv.)=1,188) analyze different aspects clinical Buddhist chaplaincy work with regard to patients’ spiritual care needs and the distribution of patient ethnicity, religious/spiritual preference and geographical origin. Insights obtained from the data support a positive and strong correlation between patient spiritual care needs and the work of a clinical Buddhist chaplain as a spiritual care provider.

This article gives an overview of the emergence of Buddhist Chaplaincy in the US. It analyzes the concept, profession and formation of this chaplaincy using the theory-praxis model. Current available academic research literature related to this chaplaincy is also summarized and analyzed. This article puts forward potential challenges that Buddhist chaplaincy faces today in the US. It seeks possible practical and functional approaches for present and future development of Buddhist chaplaincy. Differences between practical theology and Buddhology based on the concepts of “shepherding” and “ox herding” are compared and explored. Insights on the theory-praxis model of Buddhist chaplaincy today in the US are depicted in a practical formula.