The impact of lay pastoral telecare on the spiritual well-being of church attenders

The use and effects of telemedicine on complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine practices: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Telemedicine includes the delivery of health-care services and sharing of health information across distances. Past research has found that telemedicine can play a role in enhancing complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine (CAIM) while allowing the maintenance of cultural values and ancestral knowledge. This scoping review synthesized evidence regarding the use of telemedicine in the context of CAIM.

METHODS

Following Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review framework, CINAHL, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE and AMED databases were searched systematically. The CADTH website was also searched for grey literature. Eligible articles included a CAIM practice or therapy offered through telemedicine, with no restrictions placed on the type of telemedicine technology used. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted to synthesise common themes among the included studies.

RESULTS

Sixty-two articles were included in this synthesis. The following themes emerged: 1) the practitioner view of CAIM delivered through telemedicine, 2) the patient view of CAIM delivered through telemedicine, and 3) the technological impacts of telemedicine delivery of CAIM.

CONCLUSIONS

Studies have shown that telemedicine delivery of CAIM is feasible, acceptable, and results in positive health outcomes. Some barriers remain such as the presence of chronic illness and morbidity, inability to form strong patient-provider relationships relative to face-to-face approaches, and technological difficulties. Future intervention research should focus on reducing such barriers, as well as explore which patient population would realize the greatest benefit from CAIM delivered via telemedicine, and the impact of interventions on providers and caregivers.

The changing face of spiritual care: current developments in telechaplaincy

In recent years, and particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic, telehealth has been rapidly introduced into U.S. healthcare institutions. While preliminary data and best practices are beginning to emerge, it remains unclear how chaplains are responding to this development in practice. Consequently, professional organizations have tended to lag behind the changing demands of increasingly digital professional environments. This article addresses this gap by presenting three case studies of U.S. healthcare settings where chaplains have become an integral component of telehealth infrastructure: the Mercy system, Ascension Health, and the Veteran's Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. Based on interviews with chaplains and directors of chaplaincy departments, it shows how the 'telechaplains' at these institutions have adapted to the introduction of telehealth across the continuum of care, and discusses the legal, economic, practical and theological challenges and hopes reported in each case.

Chaplains and telechaplaincy: best practices, strengths, weaknesses-a national study

Telechaplaincy is the use of telecommunications and virtual technology to deliver religious/spiritual care. It has been used for decades, but chaplains' understanding of telehealth lags behind other disciplines. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of telechaplaincy in the United States and chaplains' perceptions of the practice. Researchers surveyed chaplains through chaplain-certifying-body email-listservs, then conducted in-depth interviews with 36 participants identified through maximum variation sampling. Quantitative analysis and qualitative, thematic analysis were conducted. Quantitative results show that in 2019, approximately half of surveyed chaplains performed telechaplaincy. Rural chaplains were more likely to have practiced. Chaplains who had not practiced were more willing to try if they believed it was effective at meeting religious/spiritual needs. Qualitative findings describe chaplains' perceptions of strengths, weaknesses, and best practices.

Feasibility and acceptability of a telephone-based chaplaincy intervention in a large, outpatient oncology center

Purpose

Telechaplaincy (the use of telecommunications and virtual technology to deliver spiritual and religious care by healthcare chaplains or other religious/spiritual leaders) is a relatively novel intervention that has increasingly been used in recent years, and especially during COVID-19. Telephone-based chaplaincy is one mode of telechaplaincy. The purpose of this study was to (1) describe telephone-based chaplaincy interventions delivered as the first point of contact to patients who screen positive for religious/spiritual concern(s) using an electronic data system, and (2) assess the feasibility and acceptability of delivering interventions in an outpatient cancer institute using this methodology.

Methods

Patients were screened for religious and spiritual (R/S) concern(s) using an electronic data system. Patients indicating R/S concern(s) were offered a telephone-based chaplaincy intervention and asked to complete a survey assessing acceptability of the intervention. Feasibility and acceptability data were collected.

Results

Thirty percent of screened patients indicated R/S concern(s). Telephone-based chaplaincy interventions were offered to 100% of eligible patients, establishing contact with 61% of eligible patients, and offering chaplaincy interventions to 48% of those patients. Survey participants report high acceptability of the offered intervention.

Conclusion

This is the first study examining feasibility and acceptability of telephone-based chaplaincy with oncology patients. Telephone-based chaplaincy is feasible and acceptable within an outpatient oncology setting, supporting the promise of this interventional strategy. Further research is needed to refine practices.

Principle-based analysis of the concept of telecare

AIM

To report a concept analysis of telecare.

BACKGROUND

Lately telecare has become a worldwide, modern way of giving care over distance by means of technology. Other concepts, like telemedicine, e-health, and telehealth, focus on the same topic though the boundaries between them seem to be blurred.

DATA SOURCES

Sources comprise 44 English language research articles retrieved from the database of Medline and Cinahl (1995-October 2011).

DESIGN

Literature Review.

METHOD

A principle-based analysis was undertaken through content analysis of the definitions, attributes, preconditions, and outcomes of the concept.

RESULTS

The attributes are well described according to the use of technology, caring activity, persons involved, and accessibility. Preconditions and outcomes are well described concerning individual and health political needs and benefits. The concept did not hold its boundaries through theoretical integration with the concept of telemedicine and telehealth. The definition of telecare competes with concepts like home-based e-health, telehomecare, telephonecare, telephone-based psychosocial services, telehealth, and telemedicine. Assessment of the definitions resulted in a suggestion of a new definition: Telecare is the use of information, communication, and monitoring technologies which allow healthcare providers to remotely evaluate health status, give educational intervention, or deliver health and social care to patients in their homes.

CONCLUSION

The logical principle was assessed to be partly immature, whereas the pragmatical and linguistical principles were found to be mature. A new definition is suggested and this has moved the epistemological principle forward to maturity.