Discerning Patient Needs: Spiritual Assessment Perspectives for Health Care Chaplains

Hospital chaplains struggle to know which patients most likely need pastoral care and why. The author presents a computerized model to screen and document indicated patients. A new screening tool is introduced, the Clinical + Coping Score, which can check with greater precision for patients who show evidence of insufficient coping. This screening model informs the subsequent assessment and intervention opportunities, though they are not discussed. The model’s format enables chaplains to efficiently and effectively document pastoral screening using the hospital’s electronic charting program. Two levels of visitation priority are suggested. In so doing, the chaplains are able to identify the indicators for pastoral care contacts and interventions, as well as the number of patients whose recognized needs have yet to be addressed (Ledbetter, 2008, p. 367).