title: Use of the chaplaincy in the neonatal intensive care unit.
abstract: The hospital chaplain is a relatively new member of the health care team, and there is little objective information on the chaplaincy's role in the hospital. To evaluate the chaplain's role, I collected information from the chaplain's daily logs and from a medical staff/parent questionnaire on the use of the chaplaincy in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Both the medical/nursing staff and the chaplains viewed the chaplain's role as encompassing both traditional (religious functionary) and nontraditional functions. However, the medical/nursing staff consulted chaplains only for traditional roles. The discrepancy in chaplain use suggests a need for objective study about the chaplain's role. I offer hypotheses for testing the role of the chaplaincy in the NICU.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Sharp
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002604:Chaplaincy Service, Hospital; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas