title: Health care reform: analysis of narrative responses from directors of pastoral care departments.
abstract: This paper is a narrative analysis of comments written by hospital pastoral care department directors in response to the questionnaire item that asked them to write about their experience with health care reform and to make suggestions as to what the profession could do about it. Three central themes included: (1) the importance of and need for administrative support of the department, (2) the importance of departmental visibility within the institution, and (3) the challenges of embracing change. Two secondary themes were the admonishing of peer department directors concerning inadequate performance and the ministry to hospital staff during reform efforts.
authors.affiliation: MedCentral College of Nursing, 335 Glefsner Avenue, Mansfield, OH 44903, USA.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: McCarthy
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002604:Chaplaincy Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003625:Data Collection; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006740:Hospital Administrators; D015274:Interdepartmental Relations; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010327:Pastoral Care; D020415:Personnel Downsizing; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce