American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®, Ahead of Print.
BackgroundPalliative Care also encompasses the dimension of spiritual pain. Pastoral care workers and chaplains are specialists in the provision of spiritual care. Decreasing religious affiliation and increasing spiritual diversification in modern societies raise the question of the function of pastoral care.AimThe goal of this study is to answer the question of what pastoral care workers can offer to dying residents in hospices and palliative care units.DesignA qualitative interview study was designed to explore the specific perspective of pastoral care workers in a multidisciplinary environment. The study is based on differentiation theory which is particularly well adjusted to reveal differences in perspectives in so called ‘holistic’ care settings. The reporting follows the COREQ guidelines.SettingProblem centered interviews were conducted at five hospices and two palliative care units.ResultsEight pastoral care workers were interviewed (5 Catholic, 3 Protestant, mean age of 58 years). The analysis of the interviews revealed three major themes: (A) Self-positioning in relation to the organization, (B) Offering conversations to patients and relatives, (C) Performing religious rituals. Minor themes were: mediating conflicts between patients, relatives and staff, sensing moods in silence with patients and organizing workshops for staff.ConclusionIn modern hospice care, pastoral care workers routinely address the problem of making death more tangible and of answering the unanswerable question of what comes afterwards. Through this, they support dying residents in hospices and palliative care units in dealing with the inexplicability of death.