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CAPC Palliative Care Discussion Forum
Chaplaincy in Palliative Care Settings
Re:Point of Chaplain Intervention? Date: May 29, 2008 12:05 pm
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| Re:Re:Point of Chaplain Intervention? (by Chaplain_Al on 05/30/2008)
Marci writes: "In our PC program, we have an interdisciplinary team that works together on appropriate referrals and interventions."
The interdisciplinary process is key. The clinical chaplain needs to be integrated into this team. At UAMS Medical Center here in Little Rock, as a Board Certified Clinical Chaplain, I not only work as a part of the interdisciplinary team, but also coordinate our Palliative Care program. Each consult order for palliative care comes through me, and I do an initial screening for needs. I call in the members of the team, as appropriate. I offer this as a model where the chaplain is central to the palliative care team process.
At a minimum, a palliative care consult involves our palliative care physician, myself as chaplain/PC coordinator, the patient's nurse, the attending physician, and a social worker. We also meet each week for interdisciplinary team staffing conference (IDT). Members of our IDT include physicians, a nurse, a social worker, a psychologist, and chaplains. At each IDT meeting, we staff each patient from that week including medical assessment, social assessment, and pastoral assessment. In addition, we discuss the interventions, plans, and outcomes of each case. Our IDT meetings also have an educational segment as well.
In my role as chaplain, a part of my pastoral assessment includes an evaluation of the religious/faith/spiritual resources already available to the patient and family. Many, not all but many, of our patients and families have a connection to a faith community (cf. S. Pulchalski's FICA model - C for faith Community). As chaplain, it is imperative that I help facilitate the role of the patient’s and/or family’s faith community and clergy to offer pastoral support and nurture. In addition, it is most always beneficial, if possible, to involve a patient’s clergy in our team process for that patient as well.
As an academic medical center, we are implementing a medical fellowship in palliative care AND a palliative care fellowship for chaplains through our CPE program. I will keep this group informed on the progress of both fellowship programs.
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