When and why patients and families reject chaplains: challenges, strategies and solutions

Klitzman, Robert; Natarelli, Gabrielle Di Sapia; Garbuzova, Elizaveta; Sinnappan, Stephanie; Al-Hashimi, Jay

doi:10.1080/08854726.2022.2150026

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Recently, we conducted an interview study of chaplains, which included both Muslims and non-Muslims, concerning how they view and experience a wide range of challenges and opportunities in their work, related, for instance, to obtaining clinically-important information [ 11 ], using rituals [ 12 ], determining lengths of visits and relationships with patients [ 13 ] and facing rejections from patients [ 14 ]. Crucial issues regarding Islam spontaneously arose, and are thus presented here.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Muslim patients in the U.S. confronting challenges regarding end-of-life and palliative care: the experiences and roles of hospital chaplains

et al. 2023

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Introduction Hospital chaplains aid patients confronting challenges related to palliative and end-of-life care, but relatively little is known about how chaplains view and respond to such needs among Muslim patients, and how well. Methods Telephone qualitative interviews of ~ 1 h each were conducted with 23 chaplains and analyzed. Results Both Muslim and non-Muslim chaplains raised issues concerning Islam among chaplains, doctors and patients, particularly challenges and misunderstandings between non-Muslim providers and Muslim patients, especially at the end-of-life, often due to a lack of knowledge of Islam, and misunderstanding and differences in perspectives. Due to broader societal Islamophobia, Muslim patients may fear or face discrimination, and thus not disclose their religion in the hospital. Confusion can arise among Muslim patients and families about what their faith permits regarding end-of-life care and pain management, and how to interpret and apply their religious beliefs in hospitals. Muslims hail from different countries, but providers may not fully grasp how these patients’ cultural practices may also vary. Chaplains can help address these challenges, playing key roles in mediating tensions and working to counteract Muslim patients’ fears, and express support. Yet many Muslim immigrants don’t know what “chaplaincy” is and/or prefer a chaplain of their own faith. Muslim chaplains can play vital roles, having expertise that can heighten trust, and educating non-Muslim colleagues, providing in-depth understanding of Islam (e.g., highlighting how Islam is related to Judaism and Christianity) and correcting misconceptions among colleagues. Hospitals without a Muslim chaplain can draw on local community imams. Conclusions These data highlight how mutual sets of misunderstandings, especially concerning patients’ and families’ decisions about end-of-life care and pain management, can emerge among Muslim patients and non-Muslim staff that chaplains can help mediate. Non-Muslim chaplains and providers should seek to learn more about Islam. Muslim patients and families may also benefit from enhanced education and awareness of chaplains’ availability and scope, and of pain management and end-of-life options. These data thus have several critical implications for future practice, education, and research.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Muslim patients in the U.S. confronting challenges regarding end-of-life and palliative care: the experiences and roles of hospital chaplains

et al. 2023

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“…The nonreligious and religiously unaffiliated-taken together, the so-called nones, as in "none of the above" (Vernon 1968)-make up the fastest growing religious group in the United States, accounting for 30% of Americans overall (Pew Research Center 2022) and as many as four in ten members of the Millennial Generation and Generation Z. Nonreligious chaplains have an important role in serving this segment of the population and may be particularly well suited to the work of integrating nonreligion into spiritual care. Current research suggests that a person who is an atheist or is otherwise nonreligious might reject a chaplain out of wariness (Potts et al 2023) or might shut down a conversation with a chaplain if they feel judged for their beliefs (Klitzman et al 2022). These outcomes may be less likely if the chaplain is nonreligious as well.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonreligious Chaplains and Spiritual Care

Lawton,

Anderson,

Cadge

2023

Religions

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Spiritual care in a religiously plural society necessarily includes care for the nonreligious. However, little is known about the nonreligious people who themselves work to provide spiritual care. Today, spiritual care providers, better known in the United States context as chaplains, come from a wide variety of religious backgrounds, including nonreligious or unaffiliated with religious tradition. While nonreligious chaplains have robust pluralistic skillsets—a professional strength and a benefit to spiritual care work—they nonetheless encounter training and workplace challenges specific to their religious identities. The theoretical framework of Christian normativity could account for these challenges.

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Becoming chaplains: How and why chaplains enter the field, factors involved and implications

Klitzman

Sinnappan

Garbuzova

et al. 2022

Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy

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When and why patients and families reject chaplains: challenges, strategies and solutions

Cited by 4 publications

References 14 publications

Muslim patients in the U.S. confronting challenges regarding end-of-life and palliative care: the experiences and roles of hospital chaplains

Muslim patients in the U.S. confronting challenges regarding end-of-life and palliative care: the experiences and roles of hospital chaplains

Nonreligious Chaplains and Spiritual Care

Becoming chaplains: How and why chaplains enter the field, factors involved and implications

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