It is best if end-of-life care in the ICU is planned and coordinated, where possible. Nurses need to become more self-reflective and aware in relation to end-of-life situations in ICU in order to develop privacy practices that are responsive to family and patient needs.

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Aim: To explore healthcare chaplains’ experience of providing spiritual support to individuals and families from minority religious and non-religious faiths and to identify key elements of the role. Background: Currently, there is limited research uncovering the essential elements of healthcare chaplaincy, specifically with reference to religious and/or spiritual diversity, and as interprofessional collaborators with nurses and midwives in healthcare. Research design and participants: Using phenomenology, we interviewed eight healthcare chaplains from a variety of healthcare settings in the Republic of Ireland. Data were analysed using a seven-step framework comprising Moustakas’ (1994) modification of the Van Kaam method of data analysis. Ethical considerations: Ethical approval was granted by the university and the principles of informed consent applied. Findings: Three main themes emerged: what the chaplain brings; components of ritual, minority faith or no faith; and practising chaplaincy. Subthemes included ‘offering’, ‘awareness and insight’, ‘acceptance and empathy’, ‘skilled companionship’, ‘presence’, ‘a confidant and holder of hope’ and ‘a vital resource’. Discussion and conclusions: The healthcare chaplain is a key collaborator in facilitating holistic person-centred care and in supporting healthcare professionals. Chaplaincy services are an essential but largely unrecognised and potentially cost-effective component of interprofessional team working. Relevance to clinical practice: This study has illuminated key aspects of the healthcare chaplain’s role as interprofessional collaborator in person-centred care, in navigating diversity and ensuring respect and dignity for the person irrespective of religious or spiritual care needs.

King's publication based on a key note presentation at the 2014 British Association of the Study of Spirituality (BASS) conference, a well written and thought provoking paper, leads us to consider the contribution of this critique of spirituality research to contemporary debates on the topic The views expressed within the paper are important and foster debate about the validity of research in the field of spirituality and religion. However, at the same time, this debate is reminiscent of the negative responses sometimes expressed about research publications in this field. At the same time, it must be recognised that there is a view held that there is an extra yard stick required for researchers in this field, who can be subjected to much higher standards and expectations than other researchers simply because of the topic and the deep seated conflicting views that advocates and critics hold. This paper considers the merits and challenges of this paper in light of this.Keywords: spirituality; religion; evidence-based practice BackgroundKing's [1] publication, based on a keynote presentation at the 2014 British Association of the Study of Spirituality (BASS) conference, was well written and thought provoking. King's paper argues that although there is a body of published research in existence, which attempts to demonstrate a positive association between religion and health, that such findings could possibly be and often are, inflated. He contends that in essence, the health gain from attending to the spiritual or religious needs of service users is extremely limited, and that spirituality divorced from religious practice may indeed be associated with a worsening of mental and emotional well-being of a person. DiscussionAlthough King admits that research into this whole realm is on-going and expanding, he identifies a number of pitfalls, which are presented in relation to the current on-going research [1]. He argues