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We Can Do Better: Why Pastoral Care Visitation to Hospitals is Essential, Especially in Times of Crisis.

ABSTRACT: From his perspective as a general surgeon, Episcopal priest and Medical Director for High Risk Populations and Outcomes at a large health-care system, the author identifies an unrecognized problem that clergy were banned from visiting parishioners in most hospitals across the country during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic-a situation that persists in many contexts. The author explains why pastoral visitation should be considered essential care-especially at a time of crisis-and encourages hospital administrators across the country to clarify policies to welcome community clergy as essential personnel, but to do so with prudent procedures that mitigate risk to the community and to the visiting clergy. Given the fact that most hospitals in this country were founded by religious organizations and still carry the imprint of that founding in their names, it would be tragic for these very same hospitals to cut patients off from their religious communities precisely at the time they need them most.

SUBMITTER: Hall DE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7392121 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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We Can Do Better: Why Pastoral Care Visitation to Hospitals is Essential, Especially in Times of Crisis.

Hall Daniel E DE

Journal of religion and health 20201001 5

From his perspective as a general surgeon, Episcopal priest and Medical Director for High Risk Populations and Outcomes at a large health-care system, the author identifies an unrecognized problem that clergy were banned from visiting parishioners in most hospitals across the country during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic-a situation that persists in many contexts. The author explains why pastoral visitation should be considered essential care-especially at a time of crisis-and encourages ho ...[more]

PMID: 32734516

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Project description:BackgroundThe German College of General Practitioners and Family Physicians (DEGAM) issued a COVID-19 guideline with eleven recommendations to support primary care services during the pandemic. Their use in general practices beyond the pandemic can contribute to pandemic preparedness. This study analysed general practitioners' (GPs) interest in applying recommended organisational changes in non-pandemic times.MethodsData from the German egePan GP survey (n = 516 GPs) - a multi-level clustered randomised web-based survey - were analysed. GPs' interest in the future application of the eleven guideline recommendations was calculated. In addition, each recommendation was evaluated by the GPs using a Net-Promoter-Score (NPS range - 100 to 100). A linear regression model identified GP and practice characteristics associated with a higher interest in applying recommendations in non-pandemic times.Results98.5% of the GPs indicated the intention to implement at least one guideline recommendation prospectively: disinfectant dispensers at the entrance (86%), optimised consultation scheduling to reduce waiting times (83%), and glass screens in the reception area (72%), which also received the highest NPS scores. In contrast, lower interest was observed for items such as insurance card readers handled by patients (48%), only selected staff treating infectious patients (44%), and video consultations for patients with infections (26%). A higher interest to implement recommendations in non-pandemic times was associated with a higher crisis leadership score (p < 0.001), using the Corona-Warn-App (p = 0.007), and being a female GP (p = 0.045). In addition, GPs from Western, Northern, and Southern, and those with a higher patient volume per three months, were more interested in future implementation.ConclusionsOverall, GPs demonstrated the readiness to follow the DEGAM COVID-19 guideline outside pandemic periods, establishing them as key contributors to pandemic preparedness in Germany.

Dataset Information

We Can Do Better: Why Pastoral Care Visitation to Hospitals is Essential, Especially in Times of Crisis.

Publications

We Can Do Better: Why Pastoral Care Visitation to Hospitals is Essential, Especially in Times of Crisis.

Similar Datasets

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