How is spiritual care/pastoral care understood and provided in general hospitals in Victoria, Australia? – Staff perspectives

ABSTRACT There is strong movement worldwide towards the professionalisation of spiritual care in the healthcare system, accompanied by appropriate education pathways, defining of best-practice care models, and evidence-based practice. The aim of the study reported here was to explore the understanding and expectations of healthcare service staff, across the spectrum of staffing levels, in relation to the provision of spiritual care in their facility. It utilised semi-structured interviews with 32 staff members from three large metropolitan general hospitals in Victoria Australia. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed. Overall, it was considered that spiritual care is an integral part of whole person care; more resources and in-house education of other staff are needed; and referral systems could be improved to better serve patient, family and staff spiritual care needs. Responses of clinical staff able to make referrals were compared with those of non-clinical staff who cannot make referrals. Spiritual care was regarded as important by all staff, but those who could make referrals were more likely to make specific improvement suggestions. Outcomes of this study are similar to others which have investigated these issues.