Research

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This page provides information on spiritual care research resources and papers.  It will also guide you through the process for using the Patient Reported Outcome Measure (PROM).

Background

Research network

UK organisations promoting research in spiritual care and chaplaincy

European organisations promoting research in spiritual care and chaplaincy

USA organisations promoting research in spiritual care and chaplaincy

Journals

Videos

Background
Research

 

Since the inception of the NHS in 1948 there have been chaplains who have recognised the value and importance of reflecting on the work they do.  Some have written about different aspects of their work, to provide insight into the nature of chaplaincy encounters with patients, their families and loved ones and members of staff.

 

In Scotland, since 2002, the profession has undergone significant organisational change, including a commitment to tighter regulation, involving adherence to a Code of Conduct and Service Standards, alongside a capability and competency framework, which amongst other fundamental themes, seeks to promote best practice.

The Standards for NHSScotland Chaplaincy Services state that ‘… fostering a research-based culture is essential to support the promotion of evidence-based practice’.  Similar professional developments have been taking place in different parts of the world, including the USA, mainland Europe and Australasia, amongst others. 

There is common acceptance that chaplains and spiritual care providers should be research- informed.  Not all practitioners will want to be researchers.  However, they need to be able to read and interpret current research and apply the findings of good research to their own practice.  Exploring and articulating the relationship between spirituality and health has become not only fashionable but something of an urgent priority, as traditional paradigms in healthcare come under scrutiny and budgets become tighter.

Research network

The research network was formed in 2019 following an introductory course in research methodology which was aimed primarily at spiritual care staff across Scotland. The aim of the network is to help establish a research culture within spiritual care and chaplaincy, providing a strong evidence base for the profession. It also provides continuing support and encouragement for those working in the field, to maintain their interest and involvement in research.  The network has met on-line four times since its inception, enabling the sharing of ideas and experience and is holding its first face-to-face meeting in June 2023.

From this engagement four positive outcomes have already emerged:

  • Individuals in the group have benefitted from peer support.
  • An interest has arisen in being part of a newly extended UK-wide journal club, encouraging chaplains and others engaged in spiritual care, to explore research in the field, through the reading and discussing of peer-reviewed journal articles.
  • Contact has been established with a chaplaincy research group based in the United States, leading to the invitation to present a series of webinars showcasing some of the ground-breaking work in spiritual care, taking place across NHSScotland.
  • NES recently commissioned an important piece of research into the support offered to NHS staff by spiritual care teams across Scotland, undertaken by a group from within the research network, thus providing a significant learning and coaching experience for young researchers

UK organisations promoting research in spiritual care and chaplaincy

College of Healthcare Chaplains (CHCC) https://www.healthcarechaplains.org/

CHCC members have free online access to Health and Social Care Chaplaincy.  Instructions on how to register for access are in the Members Area (requires log in to view).

UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy (UKBHC) https://www.ukbhc.org.uk/

The UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy (UKBHC) identifies research as central to the continuing professional development of chaplains in its 2020 Standards for Spiritual Care Services (Standard 5 Education, training and research).

The UK Wide Research First Digital Journal Club, which the college is pleased to support, is another way for colleagues to explore relevant new research.  Below, you will find links to articles previously discussed in the Club, together with video introductions to articles that could stimulate research-related discussions among local teams.

Click here to jump to the Research First Journal Club

This page also has links to Resources for developing research literacy.

Click here to jump to research literacy Resources

Research First Journal Club

The college is delighted to support a monthly UK wide digital journal club, organised as a joint venture by the CHCC and Free Churches Group (FCG) and supported and promoted by the Association of Hospice and Palliative Care Chaplains, NHS Education for Scotland, the Northern Ireland Healthcare Chaplains Association and the Paediatric Chaplaincy Network. The journal club provides opportunity to earn up to 3 CPD points accredited by the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy (for full details, see the latest issue of the Digest or The Narrative).

Future dates for the journal club are:

  • May 2023: Thursday 4th, 15:15 to 16:30.

If you have questions about the journal club, or would like to receive diary invites for the sessions, contact mark.newitt@freechurches.org.uk or iain.telfer@nhs.scot

European organisations promoting research in spiritual care and chaplaincy

European Research Institute for Chaplains in Healthcare (ERICH)

ERICH is part of the KU Leuven, Belgium and is hosted by the Academic Centre for Practical Theology (ACPT).
ERICH works closely with the European Network of Health Care Chaplaincy (ENHCC).

ERICH was founded to promote research by chaplains into chaplaincy practice and in doing so to encourage reflection on its theoretical underpinning.  ERICH seeks to support such research through education and mentoring with the aim of enhancing spiritual care for patients, their loved ones and health care staff.

ERICH seeks

  • To initiate research to inform the best possible spiritual care by healthcare chaplains for patients, their loved ones and staff
  • To promote the importance of research in spiritual care by health care chaplains
  • To provide education, resources and mentorship for healthcare chaplains interested in spiritual care research
  • To seek collaboration and dialogue with research orientated institutions and individuals globally
  • To translate, publish and disseminate existing research in spiritual care by chaplain

ERICH is a resource established to promote healthcare chaplaincy research within a European context which, in its short lifespan, has already benefitted from the generosity and goodwill of chaplaincy researchers, academics and practitioners from a variety of healthcare disciplines, and the institutions and bodies they are affiliated with globally.  ERICH has emerged from and belongs to European chaplains through the auspices of the European Network of Healthcare Chaplains.  Its aim is not just to benefit healthcare chaplaincy – its profile, practice and evidence base – but critically to enhance the spiritual wellbeing of the people chaplains work with.

Article about the birth of ERICH –

Ewan, K. & Vandenhoeck A. (2017). The Birth of a European Research Institute for Chaplains in Healthcare (ERICH): Initiated by Chaplains for the Promotion of Research by ChaplainsHealth and Social Care Chaplaincy 5 (2), 297-305.

European Network of Health Care Chaplaincy

European Network of Health Care Chaplaincy (ENHCC).

The European Network of Health Care Chaplaincy was founded in November 2000.   It consists of representatives from Churches, Faiths and National Associations.  The Network holds Consultations every two years in different countries.  Representatives meet together to discuss matters of common interest and current research in Spiritual Care.

USA organisations promoting research in spiritual care and chaplaincy

United States of America

Joint Research Council (JRC)

NES is formally represented on the Joint Research Council of the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) in the USA, under whose auspices Transforming Chaplaincy seeks ‘to promote evidence-based spiritual care and integrate research into professional practice and education by fostering a culture of inquiry, envisioning a future when chaplaincy is formed, informed, and transformed by evidence-based practice.’ 

https://www.transformchaplaincy.org/contact/ 

By drawing together leaders in chaplaincy from around the world and numerous healthcare settings, Transforming Chaplaincy is a collaborative initiative that seeks to address the needs and concerns of the entire spectrum of spiritual care.’

Journals
Journal

 

The UK Chaplains’ Research Digest is a good place for College members to explore interesting new research. While being far from a comprehensive round up, it offers links to relevant research articles, as well as interviews and reviews that can help build research literacy.

 

Click here to jump to the most recent issue of the UK Chaplains’ Research Digest

Research Digests:

Aimed at helping colleagues build their research literacy, the quarterly digest highlights research papers from the four main journals relevant to chaplaincy and spiritual care research: Health and Social Care ChaplaincyJournal of Health Care ChaplaincyJournal of Pastoral Care and Counselling and Journal of Health and Religion. Additionally, the Digest also includes short introductory articles, book reviews and interviews with chaplain-researchers.

The journals, ‘Health and Social Care Chaplaincy’  https://journal.equinoxpub.com/HSCC/ and ‘Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy’  https://www.professionalchaplains.org/content.asp?pl=104&sl=108&contentid=108 are excellent sources of up-to-date spiritual care research.

Here is a list, with some links to articles and book titles, which illustrate the breadth of recent research interests.

Charting Spiritual Care: The Emerging Role of Chaplaincy Records in Global Health Care, Simon Peng-Keller and David Neuhold Editors,

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-47070-8

Keys to Knowledge: Searching and Reviewing the Literature Relevant to Chaplaincy Kevin J. Flannelly, Katherine R. B. Jankowski, Helen P. Tannenbaum

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10999183.2011.10767418

What Did Chaplains Do During the Covid Pandemic? An International Survey Austyn Snowden

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1542305021992039

Chaplaincy and the Soul of Health and Social Care, Editors John Swinton and Ewan Kelly, chapter 13 on The Scottish PROM

https://uk.jkp.com/products/chaplaincy-and-the-soul-of-health-and-social-care

Snowden, A., Fitchett, G., Grossoehme, D. H., Handzo, G., Kelly, E., King, S. D. W., … Flannelly, K. J. (2017). An International Study of Chaplains’ Attitudes about Research. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy. https://doi.org/10.1080/08854726.2016.1250556

Snowden, A., Gibbon, A., & Grant, R. (2019). What is the impact of Chaplaincy in Primary Care? The GP perspective. Health and Social Care Chaplaincy, in press. Retrieved from https://journals.equinoxpub.com/index.php/HSCC/article/view/34709

Swinton, J. (2013). A question of identity: What does it mean for chaplains to become healthcare professionals? Scottish Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy, 6(2), 2–8.

Videos
Videos

 

The UK Chaplains' Reseach Digest aims to interview experienced researchers, to learn about their work and from their insights.

Click the links to access the video interviews.

              George Fitchett

Other videos you may be interested in

Skinner M et al: How do healthcare chaplaincy spiritual care interventions support adults’ mental health by integrating health and social care? A review of primary research studies published in English 2010-2019. Health and Social Care Chaplaincy, 10(1), 27–49. doi.org/10.1558/hscc.20588
Click here for the Video

Schuhmann CM et al (2021) Humanist chaplaincy according to Northwestern European Humanist Chaplains: Towards a framework for understanding chaplaincy in secular societies. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, 27(4), 207-221. doi.org/10.1080/08854726.2020.1723190
Click here for the Video

Sprik, P, et al, (2021) Feasibility and acceptability of a telephone-based chaplaincy intervention in a large, outpatient oncology center. Supportive Care Cancer 29(3), 1275-1285. doi.org/10.1007/s00520-020-05598-4
Click here for the Video