Problems with reporting quality impedes meaningful interpretation and cross-study comparisons. Inconsistent and misapplied terminology also create barriers to interprofessional communication and translation of findings to patient care. Improved reporting quality and creation of shared language will advance scientific rigor and clinical relevance of music intervention research.
Background Evidence and clinical guidelines call care team members to address the spiritual well‐being of pediatric patients, especially adolescents and young adults (AYA), with cancer and blood disorders. However, the lack of relevant training in generalist spiritual care has been a key barrier. Therefore, we aimed to improve clinicians’ capabilities by utilizing the Interprofessional Spiritual Care Education Curriculum (ISPEC) to close this gap in pediatric hematology‐oncology. A model of interprofessional spiritual care entails that all team members attend to patients’ spirituality by employing generalist spiritual care skills and collaborating with spiritual care specialists such as chaplains. Methods Interdisciplinary team members providing care for AYA with cancer and blood disorders were recruited to participate in interprofessional spiritual care education. Our intervention combined an evidence‐based online curriculum and in‐person discussion groups. Pretest‐posttest study examined changes in participants’ skills and practices to identify, address, and discuss spiritual concerns. Surveys were conducted at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months after the intervention. Results Participants (n = 21) included physicians, advanced practice providers, nurse coordinators, and psychosocial team members. We observed positive changes in participants’ ability (36%, P < 0.01), frequency (56%, P = 0.01), confidence (32%, P < 0.01), and comfort (31%, P = 0.02) providing generalist spiritual care baseline versus one month, with significant gains maintained through six months (Omnibus P < 0.05). Conclusions Utilizing ISPEC, interprofessional spiritual care education has a strong potential to develop pediatric hematology‐oncology team members’ capabilities to attend to the spiritual aspect of whole‐person care and thus contribute to the well‐being of AYA with cancer and blood disorders.
Background: Spirituality is frequently utilized by patients experiencing cancer and blood disorders to maintain their well-being and cope with their diagnosis. The provision of spiritual care is a critical aspect of whole person care and is associated with increased quality of life and positive coping with pain. Generalist aspects of spiritual care may be provided by any team member trained to do so. The Interprofessional Spiritual Care Education Curriculum (ISPEC©) is an online program which provides this training. Methods: We utilized ISPEC© for the training of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology team members. From 21 team members who were trained, a convenience sample of 8 participants were interviewed regarding their experience. Using a phenomenological approach for interview and analysis, we explored the experience of interprofessional spiritual care training. Through iterative review of interview transcripts, themes representing the essence of the lived experience were identified. Theme saturation was reached through the interviews of the 8 participants. Results: Three major themes emerged. These themes were (1) Knowledge gained, (2) Barriers to Providing Spiritual Care, and (3) Impact on the Healthcare Team. While the experience of interprofessional spiritual care training mitigated one barrier (lack of training), it also revealed barriers within the standard workflow, which participants became interested in changing. Through education on generalist spiritual care, there were both benefits to patients whose spiritual needs could be better addressed, and an increased understanding of the team member's own spiritual needs. Conclusion: Interprofessional spiritual care education, utilizing ISPEC©, has a strong potential to develop pediatric hematology-oncology team members’ capabilities to attend to the spiritual aspect of whole-person care. In addition to contributing to the well-being of patients, the experience of training in spiritual care also holds benefits to the team members as they are learning to recognize their own spiritual needs and resources.
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