Abstract
Effective communication between intensive care unit (ICU) staff, and patients and their families, can help increase understanding, trust, and goals-of-care decisions. Many strategies focus on enhancing communication by increasing family meetings or adding patient navigators. In our ICU, we implemented both strategies, uniquely appointing a chaplain for the patient navigator role. We then surveyed ICU staff on their perceptions of the chaplain/patient navigator, which yielded several valuable insights. Although all staff supported a strong chaplaincy presence, many had concerns about the dual chaplain/patient navigator role. Based on our mixed results, we encourage further exploration to optimize the chaplain role in the ICU.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1833-1846 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Journal of Religion and Health |
Volume | 58 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 1 2019 |
Keywords
- Chaplain
- Intensive care
- Patient advocacy
- Patient navigation
- Patient-centered care
- Spiritual care
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Nursing
- Religious studies