Hospital chaplaincy and spiritual care services are important to patients’ medical care and well-being; however, little is known about healthcare providers’ experiences receiving spiritual support. A phenomenological study examined the shared experience of spiritual care between hospital chaplains and hospital-based healthcare providers (HBHPs). Six distinct themes emerged from the in-depth interviews: Awareness of chaplain availability, chaplains focus on building relationships with providers and staff, chaplains are integrated in varying degrees on certain hospital units, chaplains meet providers’ personal and professional needs, providers appreciate chaplains, and barriers to expanding hospital chaplains’ services. While HBHPs appreciated the care received and were able to provide better patient care as a result, participants reported that administrators may not recognize the true value of the care provided. Implications from this study are applied to hospital chaplaincy clinical, research, and training opportunities.

Objective: COVID-19 increased moral distress (MD) and moral injury (MI) among healthcare professionals (HCPs). The purpose of this study was to examine MD and MI among inpatient and outpatient HCPs during March of 2022. The study sought to examine (1) the relationship between MD and MI; (2) the relationship between MD/MI and pandemic-related burnout and resilience; and (3) the degree to which HCPs experienced pandemic-related MD and MI based on background characteristics. Methods: A survey was conducted to measure MD, MI, burnout, resilience, and intent to leave healthcare at two academic medical centers during a 4-week period. A convenience sample of 184 participants (physicians, nurses, residents, respiratory therapists, advanced practice providers) completed the survey. In this mixed-methods approach, researchers analyzed both quantitative and qualitative survey data and triangulated the findings. Results: A moderate association was found between MD and MI (r = .47, P < .001). Regression results indicated that burnout was significantly associated with both MD and MI ( P = .02 and P < .001, respectively), while intent to leave was associated only with MD ( P < .001). Qualitative results yielded eight sources of MD and MI: workload, distrust, lack of teamwork/collaboration, loss of connection, lack of leadership, futile care, outside stressors, and vulnerability. Conclusions: While interrelated conceptually, MD and MI should be viewed as distinct constructs. Many HCPs were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with MD and MI being experienced by those in all HCP categories. Understanding the sources of MD and MI among HCPs could help to improve well-being, work satisfaction, and the quality of patient care.

Background: Despite the push for resident and faculty involvement in patient safety (PS) and quality improvement (QI), there is limited literature describing programs that train them to conduct PS/QI projects. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of a co-learning PS/QI curriculum. Method: The authors implemented a co-learning (residents and faculty together) PS/QI curriculum within our general Internal Medicine program over 1 year. The curriculum consisted of two workshops, between-session guidance, and final presentation. The authors evaluated effectiveness by self-assessment of attitude, knowledge, and behavior change and PS/QI project completion. Results: Thirty-eight of 32 (95%) resident and 8 faculty member participants attended the workshops and 27 of 40 (67%) completed the evaluation. Participants (87–96%) responded favorably regarding workshop effectiveness. The authors found significant improvement in 78% of items pertaining to PS/QI knowledge/skills, but no difference for attitudinal items. The final project evaluation participants rated project content as relevant to learning needs (75%); training as well-organized (75%); faculty mentorship for the project as supportive (75%); and the overall project as excellent or very good (71%). Conclusion: The authors successfully demonstrated a framework for co-teaching faculty and residents to conduct PS/QI projects. Participants acquired necessary tools to practice in an ever-evolving clinical setting emphasizing a patient-centered and quality-focused environment.

Background and Purpose: There is limited training for healthcare students in the performance of telephone consultations. To facilitate communication between healthcare professionals when face-to-face interactions are not possible, a telephone consultation simulation was developed. The simulation involved students in a doctor of physical therapy program and senior medical students. This study aimed to explore the development and suitability of a simulated case with a focus on interprofessional telephone consultation. Methods: A convenience sample of 28 physical therapy students and 38 medical students from two institutions in southwest Virginia participated in the simulation experience. To assess the outcomes of the simulation on interprofessional communication, the IPASS verbal handoff assessment was performed by the participants and focus group interviews occurred immediately following the experience. In addition, an assessment of key information provided during the conversation was performed for each of the seven interprofessional groups. Results: Students demonstrated near perfect agreement on the IPASS assessment. Five of the seven interprofessional groups perceived that they were able to communicate key information and collectively agree upon a recommendation for the continuation of the patient assessment. The two groups that demonstrated more difficulty with communication appeared to struggle with communicating the patient’s past medical history relevant to the current situation, despite the majority of students feeling confident in their communications. In addition, two themes were presented during the interprofessional focus group interviews: 1) clear communication to maintain patient safety and 2) efficiently conveying the patient’s background. Discussion: The health professions students participating in the scenario were able to consistently note the communication skills observed and reflect upon the need for clear communication between providers during a patient consultation. Key components of an efficient telephone consultation were identified, along with opportunities to improve this type of interaction between health professionals.