Screening |
Evaluate current practices for screening patients for spiritual and mental health issues, with the intention of strengthening existing practices and / or implementing new research-informed screening practices where none exist. |
Referrals |
Strengthen and / or develop clearly articulated processes for referring patients between disciplines, including processes to contact the other discipline, communicate the core issue, articulate a basic care plan, and conduct follow-up. |
Assessment |
Develop, improve, and / or ensure standardized use of multidimensional spiritual and mental health assessments that contribute to making effective referrals and to providing relevant healthcare information to the other discipline. |
Communication & Documentation |
Establish regular communication practices, ideally as part of recurring integrated care team meetings, and document care and consults in a useful manner to the other discipline (at facilities where chaplain documentation of care is expected). |
Cross-Disciplinary Training |
Champion cross-disciplinary training opportunities, at a minimum to inform colleagues about the aims and rationale of the learning collaborative. |
Role Clarification |
Develop a better understanding of chaplain and mental health provider roles, culminating in the development of formal documentation of how mental health and chaplain services collaborate (e.g., care coordination agreements). |