Australian patient preferences for discussing spiritual issues in the hospital setting: An exploratory mixed methods study

Authors

Megan C. Best, The University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow
Kate Fiona Jones, The University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow
Frankie Merritt, The University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow
Michael Casey, The University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow
Sandra Lynch, The University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow
John Eisman, The University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow
Jeffrey Cohen, The University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow
Darryl Mackie
Kirsty Beilharz
Matthew Kearney

Publication Details

Best, M. C., Jones, K. F., Merritt, F., Casey, M., Lynch, S., Eisman, J., Cohen, J., Mackie, D., Beilharz, K., & Kearney, M. (2023). Australian patient preferences for discussing spiritual issues in the hospital setting: An exploratory mixed methods study. Journal of Religion and Health,.

Abstract

While there is high patient acceptance for clinical staff discussing issues regarding spirituality with hospital inpatients, it is not clear which staff member patients prefer for these discussions. This unique exploratory study investigated inpatient preferences regarding which staff member should raise the topic of spirituality. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with inpatients at six hospitals in Sydney, Australia (n=897), with a subset invited to participate in qualitative interviews (n=41). Pastoral care staf (32.9%) were the preferred staf members with whom to discuss spiritual issues, followed by doctors (22.4%). Qualitative fndings indicated that individual characteristics of the staf member are more important than their role.

Keywords

spirituality, spiritual history, patient preferences, patient– clinician interaction, healthcare professionals

Link to Publisher Version (URL)

10.1007/s10943-023-01767-x