Transcending differences to study the transcendent: an exploratory study of researchers' and chaplains' reflections on interdisciplinary spiritual care research collaboration.
BACKGROUND
Despite recognition of the centrality of professional board-certified chaplains (BCC) in palliative care, the discipline has little research to guide its practices. To help address this limitation, HealthCare Chaplaincy Network funded six proposals in which BCCs worked collaboratively with established researchers. Recognizing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in the development of a new field, this paper reports on an exploratory study of project members' reflections over time on the benefits and challenges of conducting inter-disciplinary spiritual care research.


METHODS
Data collection occurred in two stages. Stage 1 entailed two independent, self-reflective focus groups, organized by professional discipline, mid-way through the site projects. Stage 2 entailed end-of-project site reports and a conference questionnaire.


RESULTS
Eighteen professionals participated in the group discussions. Stage 1: researchers perceived chaplains as eager workers passionately committed to their patients and to research, and identified challenges faced by chaplains in learning to conduct research. Chaplains perceived researchers as passionate about their work, were concerned research might uncover negative findings for their profession, and sensed they used a dissimilar paradigm from their research colleagues regarding the 'ways of relating' to knowledge and understanding. Stage 2: researchers and chaplains noted important changes they ascribed to the interdisciplinary collaboration that were classified into six domains of cultural and philosophical understanding: respect; learning; discovery; creativity; fruitful partnerships; and learning needs.


CONCLUSIONS
Chaplains and researchers initially expressed divergent perspectives on the research collaborations. During the projects' lifespans, these differences were acknowledged and addressed. Mutual appreciation for each discipline's strengths and contributions to inter-professional dialogue emerged.
Research, HealthCare Chaplaincy Network, New York, USA. TPowell@healthcarechaplaincy.org.|Global Health Researcher, Nairobi, Kenya. TPowell@healthcarechaplaincy.org.
Richard A
RA
Powell
Research and Education, HealthCare Chaplaincy Network, 65 Broadway, 12th Floor, New York, NY, 10006-2503, USA. l-emanuel@northwestern.edu.|Geriatric Medicine and Buehler Center on Aging, Health & Society, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA. l-emanuel@northwestern.edu.
Linda
L
Emanuel
Health Services, Research and Quality, HealthCare Chaplaincy Network, New York, USA. GHandzo@healthcarechaplaincy.org.
George
G
Handzo
Pediatrics, Children's Mercy Hospital and University of Missouri at Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, USA. jlantos@cmh.edu.
John
J
Lantos
Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, USA. Laura.Dunn@ucsf.edu.
Laura B
LB
Dunn
Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. eidler@emory.edu.
Ellen L
EL
Idler
Center of Excellence for End-of-Life Transition Research, Department of Biobehavioral Health Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Illinois, USA. diwilkie@uic.edu.
Diane J
DJ
Wilkie
Mission and Spiritual Care, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, USA. kevin.massey@advocatehealth.com.
Kevin
K
Massey
Advocate Health Care, Downers Grove, Chicago, Illinois, USA. William.summerfelt@advocatehealth.com.
William T
WT
Summerfelt
Department of Mission and Spiritual Care, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, USA. marilyn.barnes@advocatehealth.com.
Marilyn J D
MJ
Barnes
Emory Palliative Care Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. tquest@emory.edu.
Tammie E
TE
Quest
Association of Clinical Pastoral Education, Center for Pastoral Education, The Jewish Theological Seminary, New York, USA. ark214@nyu.edu.
Allison
A
Kestenbaum
Department of Medicine, Duke University, North Carolina, USA. Karen.steinhauser@duke.edu.
Karen
K
Steinhauser
Department of Religion, Health and Human Values, Rush University Medical Center, College of Health Sciences, Rush University, Chicago, Illinois, USA. george_fitchett@rush.edu.
George
G
Fitchett
Clinical Pastoral Education, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, USA. AZOLLFRANK@partners.org.
Angelika
A
Zollfrank
Clinical Administrative Chaplain, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA. Annette.olsen@duke.edu.
Annette K
AK
Olsen
Departments of Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. tbalboni@lroc.harvard.edu.
Tracy A
TA
Balboni
Chaplaincy Services, Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri, USA. dsommer@cmh.edu.
Dane
D
Sommer
D000328:Adult; D002604:Chaplaincy Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002977:Clergy / Q000523:psychology*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D010465:Perception; D012108:Research Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires