title: Examining Forms of Spiritual Care Provided in the Advanced Cancer Setting.
abstract: Spiritual care (SC) is important to the care of seriously ill patients. Few studies have examined types of SC provided and their perceived impact. This study surveyed patients with advanced cancer (N = 75, response rate [RR] = 73%) and oncology nurses and physicians (N = 339, RR = 63%). Frequency and perceived impact of 8 SC types were assessed. Spiritual care is infrequently provided, with encouraging or affirming beliefs the most common type (20%). Spiritual history taking and chaplaincy referrals comprised 10% and 16%, respectively. Most patients viewed each SC type positively, and SC training predicted provision of many SC types. In conclusion, SC is infrequent, and core elements of SC-spiritual history taking and chaplaincy referrals-represent a minority of SC. Spiritual care training predicts provision of SC, indicting its importance to advancing SC in the clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Zachary D
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Epstein-Peterson
authors.affiliation: Departments of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Adam J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Andrea C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Enzinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Kelly M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Trevino
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital Chaplaincy, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Angelika A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Zollfrank
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Balboni
authors.affiliation: Departments of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Tyler J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: VanderWeele
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA tbalboni@lroc.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Tracy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Balboni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: end-of-life care; religion; spiritual care; spirituality