Promoting Research Literacy for Improved Patient Outcomes

October 2017 Articles of the Month: State of the Science of Spirituality and Palliative Care Research

October 2017 Articles of the Month: State of the Science of Spirituality and Palliative Care Research

This two-part review (plus an introduction) by leaders in the field of spirituality research grew from a conference on the “State of the Science in Spirituality and Palliative Care Research,” held at Duke Integrative Medicine (Durham, NC) and supported by the National Palliative Care Research Center [–see Related Items of Interest, §VII, below], September 30 – October 1, 2014; though the articles’ bibliographies show that the authors were updating their content well into the fall of 2016. The currency, breadth, concision, and practicality of these articles make them recommended reading for all chaplains, not just for those working in palliative care and research. The review should resonate with every chaplain contending with questions about assessment, standards of spiritual care, and effectiveness.