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Multidisciplinary staff perspectives on the integration of spiritual care in a new setting: Israel

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2019

Michael Schultz ,
Johanna Czamanski-Cohen Open the ORCID record for Johanna Czamanski-Cohen [Opens in a new window] ,
Netta Bentur ,
Saidah Mohsen-Byadsi ,
Yoav Artsieli  and
Gil Bar-Sela Open the ORCID record for Gil Bar-Sela [Opens in a new window]
Michael Schultz
Affiliation:
Division of Oncology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
Johanna Czamanski-Cohen
Affiliation:
School of Creative Arts Therapies, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
Netta Bentur
Affiliation:
The Stanley Steyer School of Health Professions, the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
Saidah Mohsen-Byadsi
Affiliation:
Division of Oncology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
Yoav Artsieli
Affiliation:
Division of Oncology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
Gil Bar-Sela*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Cancer Center, Emek Medical Center, Afula, Israel
*
Author for correspondence: Gil Bar-Sela, Cancer Center, Emek Medical Center, 21 Yitzhak Rabin Blvd., Afula1834111, Israel. E-mail: gil_ba@clalit.org.il
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Abstract

Objective

Integrating spiritual care into multidisciplinary care teams has seen both successful thoughtful collaboration and challenges, including feelings of competition and poor cross-disciplinary understanding. In Israel, where the profession is new, we aimed to examine how spiritual care is perceived by other healthcare professionals learning to integrate spiritual caregivers into their teams.

Method

Semi-structured qualitative interviews of 19 professionals (seven physicians, six nurses, three social workers, two psychologists, and one medical secretary) working with spiritual caregivers in three Israeli hospitals, primarily in oncology/hematology. The interviews were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis.

Results

Respondents’ overall experience with adding a spiritual caregiver was strongly positive. Beneficial outcomes described included calmer patients and improved patient–staff relationships. Respondents identified reasons for a referral not limited to the end of life. Respondents distinguished between the role of the spiritual caregiver and those of other professions and, in response to case studies, differentiated when and how each professional should be involved.

Conclusion

Despite its relative newness in Israel, spiritual care is well received by a wide variety of professionals at those sites where it has been integrated. Steps to improve collaboration should include improving multidisciplinary communication to broaden the range of situations in which spiritual caregivers and other professionals work together to provide the best possible holistic care.

Keywords

ChaplaincyCollaborationIsraelMultidisciplinaryRole conflictSpiritual care
Type
Original Article
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 18 , Special Issue 4: Palliative and Supportive Care During The COVID-19 Pandemic , August 2020 , pp. 431 - 436
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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