Development of a spiritual screening tool for children and adolescents.
A chaplain's ability to provide care where it is most needed depends upon some method of pastoral triage. Screening for spiritual needs of children and adolescents has been a largely neglected area. A Delphi panel developed elements to be included in a tool to screen 10-18 year olds' spiritual needs and resources. The Delphi panelists were informed of survey results of school-aged children and adolescents' opinions on spiritual issues important to them if they were hospitalized. A case study of the tool's use was conducted with a convenient sample of children and adolescents. Subsequent pilot use of the tool by five pediatric chaplains demonstrated the tool's utility in identifying patients' spiritual issues, ability to serve as a springboard to deeper discussion, and as a basis for initiating discussion of spiritual concerns with other disciplines on the healthcare team. Feedback indicates the potential clinical usefulness of this tool for hospitalized children and adolescents.
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pastoral Care/MLC, 5022 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA. Daniel.grossoehme@cchmc.org
Daniel H
DH
Grossoehme
D000293:Adolescent; D002604:Chaplaincy Service, Hospital; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010327:Pastoral Care; D010372:Pediatrics; D010865:Pilot Projects; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires