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Bandini: Student and Faculty Reflections of the Hidden Curriculum: How Does the Hidden Curriculum Shape Students' Medical Training and Professionalization?

December 23, 2015

The hidden curriculum, or the socialization process of medical training, plays a crucial role in the development of physicians, as they navigate the clinical learning environment. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine medical faculty and students' perceptions of psychological, moral, and spiritual challenges during medical training in caring for critically ill patients. Focus groups were conducted with 25 Harvard Medical School (HMS) students, and interviews were conducted with 8 HMS faculty members. Five major themes emerged as important in shaping students' medical...

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Balboni T.: Religion, Spirituality, and the Intensive Care Unit: The Sound of Silence

December 23, 2015
Visualize for a moment the philosophical quandary of a tree falling in the uninhabited forest and whether it makes a sound—the dying tree, its surroundings of fellow trees, foliage, and earth— with no person to hear its fall. This visualization hardly seems relevant to the intensive care unit (ICU), particularly because these seem to be manifestly opposing environments—one is quiet, organic, and verdant with life while the other is characterized by the sounds of human and technological...
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LeBaron: Clergy Views on a Good Versus a Poor Death: Ministry to the Terminally Ill

December 23, 2015

Clergy are often important sources of guidance for patients and family members making medical decisions at the end-of-life (EOL). Previous research revealed spiritual support by religious communities led to more aggressive care at the EOL, particularly among minority patients. Understanding this phenomenon is important to help address disparities in EOL care.

OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to explore and describe clergy perspectives regarding "good" versus "poor" death within the participant's spiritual tradition.

METHODS: This was a qualitative,...

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Rosmarin: Interest in Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy Among Acute Psychiatric Patients

December 23, 2015
OBJECTIVE:

Spiritually integrated psychotherapy (SIP) is increasingly common, though systematic assessment of interest in such treatments, and predictors of such interest, has not yet been conducted among acute psychiatric patients.

METHODS:

We conducted a survey with 253 acute psychiatric patients (95-99% response rate) at a private psychiatric hospital in Eastern Massachusetts to assess for interest in SIP, religious affiliation, and general spiritual or religious involvement alongside...

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Balboni: Religion, Spirituality, and the Hidden Curriculum: Medical Student and Faculty Reflections

June 1, 2015

CONTEXT:Religion and spirituality play an important role in physicians' medical practice, but little research has examined their influence within the socialization of medical trainees and the hidden curriculum.

OBJECTIVES:To explore the role of religion and spirituality as they intersect with aspects of medicine's hidden curriculum.

METHODS:Semi-scripted, one-on-one interviews and focus groups (N=33 respondents) were conducted to assess Harvard Medical School student and...

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Zollfrank: Teaching Health Care Providers to Provide Spiritual Care - a pilot study

April 16, 2015

 

Authors: A.Zollfrank, K.M. Trevino, W.Cadge, M.J.Balboni, M. Thiel, G.Fitchett, K.GAllivan, T.VanderWeele, T.A.Balboni

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...

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Rodin: Whose role? Oncology practitioners' perceptions of their role in providing spiritual care to advanced cancer patients.

March 27, 2015

The purpose of this study is to determine how oncology nurses and physicians view their role in providing spiritual care (SC), factors influencing this perception, and how this belief affects SC provision.This is a survey-based, multisite study conducted from October 2008 to January 2009. All oncology physicians and nurses caring for advanced cancer patients at four Boston, MA cancer centers were invited to participate; 339 participated (response rate = 63 %).Nurses were more likely than physicians to report that it is the role of medical practitioners to provide SC, including for...

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Peteet: The Relationship between Medicine, Spirituality and Religion: Three Models for Integration

September 9, 2014

The integration of medicine and religion is challenging for historical, ethical, practical and conceptual reasons. In order to make more explicit the bases and goals of relating spirituality and medicine, we distinguish here three complementary perspectives: a whole-person care model that emphasizes teamwork among generalists and spiritual professionals; an existential functioning view that identifies a role for the clinician in promoting full health, including spiritual well-being; and an open pluralism view, which highlights the importance of differing spiritual and cultural traditions...

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Epstein-Peterson: Examining Forms of Spiritual Care Provided in the Advanced Cancer Setting

September 9, 2014

Spiritual care (SC) is important to the care of seriously ill patients. Few studies have examined types of SC provided and their perceived impact. This study surveyed patients with advanced cancer (N = 75, response rate [RR] = 73%) and oncology nurses and physicians (N = 339, RR = 63%). Frequency and perceived impact of 8 SC types were assessed. Spiritual care is infrequently provided, with encouraging or affirming beliefs the most common type (20%). Spiritual history taking and chaplaincy referrals comprised 10% and 16%, respectively. Most patients viewed each SC type positively, and SC...

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