'In need of further tuning': Using a US patient satisfaction with chaplaincy instrument in a UK multi-faith setting, including the bereaved

Abstract

Healthcare chaplaincy research seems further advanced in the USA. Here a US patient satisfaction with chaplaincy instrument (PSI-C-R) was used in a London NHS foundation hospital with a multi-faith chaplaincy team and population. A version of the instrument was also generated for the bereaved. PSI-C-R had not been subjected to test-retest to confirm its reliability so this was done at the pilot stage. It proved only partly reliable, but in three separate surveys a cluster of highly rated factors emerged, as in earlier studies: chaplains' prayer, competence, listening skills and spiritual sensitivity. Low-rated factors and qualitative data highlighted areas for improvement. Disappointing response rates arose from patient acuity, ethical concerns about standard follow-up protocols, and the Western Christian origins of the instrument which requires further revision for multi-faith settings, or the design of new instruments. © Royal College of Physicians, 2009. All rights reserved.