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Health is holistic, but health services are often not. Primary care is the first point of contact for patients in the UK, and at least two in every three present with complex bio-psycho-socio-economic issues. In Scotland, the Community Chaplaincy Listening (CCL) service was created to see if chaplains could help. CCL involves specially trained chaplains listening to patients referred to them by general practitioners (GP) for spiritual support. Between 2018 and 2019, 143 people used CCL and completed baseline and post-discharge outcome measures. Mean Scottish PROM scores rose from 7.94 (± 3.4) at baseline to 12 (± 3.5) post discharge, a statistically and clinically significant rise of 4.06 (95% CI, 3–5.12), t(50) = 7.7, p < 0.0001, d = 1.08. The improvement was seen whether patients self-described as religious, spiritual, both, or neither. Health-related quality of life outcomes were mixed but patients referred to the service scored some of the lowest baseline EQ-5D-3L scores ever seen in the literature. Together these results suggest that CCL worked in primary care, especially for patients historically considered "difficult to treat." Limitations of the study are considered alongside implications for commissioners and service developers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the pathways through which positive/negative religious coping (PRC/NRC) styles work, is sparse. This cross-sectional study examined hope as a mediating pathway in the association between PRC/NRC and depressive symptoms in 155 hospital inpatients in Belgium that self-reported to be religious (mostly Catholic, Christian or religious without affiliation to a religious institute). Patients relying more on NRC tend to have more depressive symptoms through the mechanism of hope. Interestingly, the direct relationship found between NRC and depressive symptoms points to the likelihood of an omitted mediator requiring further research. Patients more often using PRC tend to have fewer depressive symptoms through the mechanism of hope. No direct relationship between PRC and depressive symptoms was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spirituality can be a valuable resource for older adults, in particular to frail and vulnerable older people such as nursing home residents. The present study aimed to describe the essence of the experience of spirituality through the perspective of the nursing home residents themselves. A purposive sample of 16 nursing home residents were interviewed following a transcendental phenomenological method. Analyses of the verbalized interviews identified seven superordinate themes including 'feelings of support and trust', 'searching for meaning and finding answers', and 'a perspective beyond death'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis qualitative study explores how geriatric inpatients (n = 103) experience a one-on-one chaplaincy visit. Although some patients expressed neutral or negative feelings about the chaplaincy visit, the large majority spoke in a very positive way about the chaplain’s care. Using thematic analysis, we identified four main themes characterizing patients’ experiences with chaplaincy visits. (1) Patients experienced the chaplaincy visit as a place to tell personal stories and express their religious beliefs. (2) They had a safe and trusting relationship with the chaplain. (3) The interaction with the chaplain brought new perspectives. (4) After the visit, they felt satisfied, relieved, peaceful, and strong. This study demonstrates that the experiences of geriatric patients contribute to a better understanding of the value of chaplaincy care. Integrating patients’ perspectives on chaplaincy care is recommended, both in future research and healthcare chaplaincy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]