Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · May 2019
Using patient-reported religious/spiritual concerns to identify patients who accept chaplain interventions in an outpatient oncology setting.
The goals of this study were to (1) describe the prevalence and correlates of patient-reported religious/spiritual (R/S) needs in outpatient oncology patients and (2) estimate the associations of R/S concerns with acceptance of an R/S intervention offered by phone. ⋯ Effective screening practices are needed for chaplains to prioritize patients most in need. This exploratory study suggests that screening for struggle to find meaning/hope in life, fear of death, and anxiety will help chaplains identify patients who have R/S concerns and will likely accept R/S interventions. Developing effective telehealth practices like this is an important direction for the field.