Table 1.

Terminology

Spiritual care Spiritual care involves recognizing the importance of the spiritual dimension of care for patients and involves needs assessment and provision of support.

Healthcare SC worker The staff member who has specialised in spiritual care within healthcare institutions, dedicated to SC of patients, regardless of their religious background. May also be called ‘chaplain’, ‘pastoral care worker’, ‘board-certified chaplain’, ‘healthcare SC worker’, ‘SC worker’, ‘priest’ or other term, including humanistic counselors or existential philosophers specialized in SC [31].

Multi-disciplinary team Palliative care is traditionally practised by a team of healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists, healthcare chaplains, social workers, etc. The combined team is called the multi-disciplinary team, also known as a multi-professional team. Not all disciplines may be represented in all units.