title: Teaching health care providers to provide spiritual care: a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health care providers' lack of education on spiritual care is a significant barrier to the integration of spiritual care into health care services.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The study objective was to describe the training program, Clinical Pastoral Education for Healthcare Providers (CPE-HP) and evaluate its impact on providers' spiritual care skills.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty CPE-HP participants completed self-report surveys at baseline and posttraining measuring frequency of and confidence in providing religious/spiritual (R/S) care. Four domains were assessed: (1) ability and (2) frequency of R/S care provision; (3) comfort using religious language; and (4) confidence in providing R/S care.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline, participants rated their ability to provide R/S care and comfort with religious language as "fair." In the previous two weeks, they reported approximately two R/S patient conversations, initiated R/S conversations less than twice, and prayed with patients less than once. Posttraining participants' reported ability to provide spiritual care increased by 33% (p<0.001). Their comfort using religious language improved by 29% (p<0.001), and frequency of R/S care increased 75% (p<0.001). Participants reported having 61% more (p<0.001) R/S conversations and more frequent prayer with patients (95% increase; p<0.001). Confidence in providing spiritual care improved by 36% overall, by 20% (p<0.001) with religiously concordant patients, and by 43% (p<0.001) with religiously discordant patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that CPE-HP is an effective approach for training health care providers in spiritual care. Dissemination of this training may improve integration of spiritual care into health care, thereby strengthening comprehensive patient-centered care.
authors: 1 Department of Spiritual Care, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut.
authors: Angelika A
authors: AA
authors: Zollfrank
authors: Kelly M
authors: KM
authors: Trevino
authors: Wendy
authors: W
authors: Cadge
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: Balboni
authors: Mary Martha
authors: MM
authors: Thiel
authors: George
authors: G
authors: Fitchett
authors: Kathleen
authors: K
authors: Gallivan
authors: Tyler
authors: T
authors: VanderWeele
authors: Tracy A
authors: TA
authors: Balboni
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D008875:Middle Aged; D010327:Pastoral Care / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012067:Religion; D020377:Self Efficacy; D029181:Spirituality