NCT06225219

Establishing the Chaplain Role in a Primary Care Clinic Setting

• Status: Completed
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 312 (actual)
• Sponsor: Methodist Health System · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 75 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

In 2019, a full-time chaplain was placed in the Golden Cross Academic Clinic (GCAC), with the chaplain's focus being in the primary care internal medicine department. While research exists regarding chaplains in the inpatient setting, research regarding the presence of a full-time chaplain in a primary care setting as well as the topics patients discuss with that chaplain are limited.

Detailed description

A few studies conducted in the hospital setting have shown what topics patients typically discuss with a chaplain. In the article, "Patients and Loved Ones' Expectations of Chaplain Services. Munchausen and colleagues present that the two highest-rated services performed by chaplains were spiritual and emotional support. This study also found that patients wanted to see a chaplain for the following reasons: to be listened to, to be with in times of anxiety, to offer support to loves ones, to remind of God's care and presence, to pray, for religious rituals, to assist with the understanding of advance care planning documents, and to counsel regarding moral or ethical decisions.

Conditions

• Emotional Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Counseling	To introduce a model of holistic care to the patient populations served by the GCAC through chaplain interventions that focus on spiritual and emotional health.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-06-20
• Primary completion: 2025-06-18
• Completion: 2025-06-18
• First posted: 2024-01-25
• Last updated: 2026-03-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States