Research Priorities for Healthcare Chaplaincy: Views of U.S. Chaplains

For which topic were research priorities identified?

healthcare chaplaincy

In which location was the research priority setting conducted?

North America - USA

Why was it conducted at all?

Chaplains in the United States and around the world appear to support an evidence-based practice approach to chaplaincy. While there continues to be strong growth in spiritual care research, several spiritual care researchers have stressed the need for a research agenda for chaplaincy.

What was the objective?

to identify the research priorities of chaplains in general

What was the outcome?

a list of 7 research topics

How long did the research prioritization take?

winter and spring of 2016

Which methods were used to identify research priorities?

survey; workshop

How were the priorities for research identified exactly?

Step 1: survey: participants were asked to complete survey and return it before workshop, survey asked: "Please use the space below to write down what you think are the most important areas for chaplaincy research.", 499 items submitted, Step 2: data processing: content analysis. Step 3: workshop: discussing results of survey

Which stakeholders took part?

Chaplains of which vast majority healthcare chaplains. Survey: 193 participants.

How were stakeholders recruited?

A brief written survey was distributed to chaplains who participated in research workshops by Fitchett and colleagues at four professional chaplaincy conferences in the winter and spring of 2016: Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC), the HealthCare Chaplaincy Network (HCCN), the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC), and the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC).

Were stakeholders actively involved or did they just participate?

Stakeholders were mere participants of the research prioritization process; they were not actively involved in the process.