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.
Grossoehme
Daniel H
DH
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pastoral Care/MLC, 5022 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA. Daniel.grossoehme@cchmc.org
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