title: Describing what chaplains do in hospitals.
abstract: Reports on a research project that describes the unique activities in which chaplains engage as they provide pastoral care and counseling and spiritual direction to patients in a large, acute tertiary referral medical center in Melbourne, Australia. Analyzes 57,704 entries which described what hospital chaplains do when interacting with patients over a period of five and one-half years. Identifies as the core activities "promoting spiritual transcending" (57.6% of all entries), "promoting spiritual intactness" (36.1% of all entries) and "enacting ministry" (6.2% of all entries).
authors.affiliation: Department of Pastoral Care and Education, Austin & Repatriation Medical Centre, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gibbons
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Retsas
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pinikahana
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D019985:Benchmarking; D002604:Chaplaincy Service, Hospital; D002977:Clergy; D003376:Counseling; D006801:Humans; D007587:Job Description; D010327:Pastoral Care; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations