The Bridge to Spiritual Care: Qualitative Analysis of Religious Leaders’ Support for Patients with Head and Neck Cancer
Leslie Ballew, Duke Divinity School; Monica Bodd, MD/MTS (c) Duke University School of Medicine; Colton Ortiz, Duke University; Kimberly Monroe, Duke Community Health; Sarah Barton, MD, Duke University School of Medicine and Duke Divinity School; Nosayaba Peters, MD, Duke University School of Medicine; and Walter Lee, MD, Duke University School of Medicine
Background: This year, 98,000 persons will be diagnosed with head and neck cancer (HNC), adding to more than half a million HNC survivors living in the United States. While it is known that HNC carries profound physical, psychosocial, and financial burden throughout a patient’s life, very little is known about the significance of faith-based communities for patients with HNC. We aimed to understand existing religious community resources for HNC patients and survivors.
Methods: By leveraging existing connections within the office of health and community affairs at a major southeastern research university, the study team recruited religious leaders in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina for semi-structured interviews. Recruitment was tailored to represent a variety of congregations and denominations but was initially limited to denominations of Christian congregations. The religious leaders were interviewed about their church’s interactions with healthcare systems and their own perceived ability to support patients with HNC. These interviews also explored the broader impact of facial disfigurement and face-related disabilities (e.g., sudden loss of voice or hearing, trauma, congenital deformities) on religious participation. Clergy were also asked about both opportunities and barriers to working with populations such as these in their current ministry setting. Data will next be analyzed using a content analysis approach to describe 1) barriers to care/worship that religious leaders observe for patients with HNC, and 2) forms of cancer support currently offered by the congregation.
Results: Through prior research, we report multiple barriers between the clergy’s desire to help this vulnerable HNC population and their ability to functionally do so. We also describe potential misperceptions and theological misnomers that add to these barriers to care. Taken together with the patient-facing arm of our overarching study, our results provide a unique opportunity to compare the perceived care gaps of religious communities vs. patient needs within religious communities. After concluding our research, we plan to utilize these results to address the barriers to faith-based care through future studies (e.g., pastoral education, disability advocacy, and patient education). Data from all interviews will be collected and analyzed in time for presentation.
Conclusions: Patients with head and neck cancer are confronted not only by significant morbidity and mortality, but also with treatments that pose a risk to their psychosocial well-being, connection to faith communities, and overall sense of self. While religious and spiritual communities are proud to confront this demand, they likely need outside assistance in critically understanding their own abilities to supply such support. This project hopes to provide such assistance by working with religious leaders to identify gaps and better equip them in supporting their most in-need congregants. Our presentation at the 2023 Conference on Medicine and Religion will focus on our findings within the Clergy aspect of this research project to address gaps within the spiritual support of patients while cross-referencing a patient needs assessment to enhance interdisciplinary understanding for future intervention. Our presentation will enhance the opportunities for future intervention with the opportunity to share our findings with a greater interdisciplinary community.
Methods: By leveraging existing connections within the office of health and community affairs at a major southeastern research university, the study team recruited religious leaders in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina for semi-structured interviews. Recruitment was tailored to represent a variety of congregations and denominations but was initially limited to denominations of Christian congregations. The religious leaders were interviewed about their church’s interactions with healthcare systems and their own perceived ability to support patients with HNC. These interviews also explored the broader impact of facial disfigurement and face-related disabilities (e.g., sudden loss of voice or hearing, trauma, congenital deformities) on religious participation. Clergy were also asked about both opportunities and barriers to working with populations such as these in their current ministry setting. Data will next be analyzed using a content analysis approach to describe 1) barriers to care/worship that religious leaders observe for patients with HNC, and 2) forms of cancer support currently offered by the congregation.
Results: Through prior research, we report multiple barriers between the clergy’s desire to help this vulnerable HNC population and their ability to functionally do so. We also describe potential misperceptions and theological misnomers that add to these barriers to care. Taken together with the patient-facing arm of our overarching study, our results provide a unique opportunity to compare the perceived care gaps of religious communities vs. patient needs within religious communities. After concluding our research, we plan to utilize these results to address the barriers to faith-based care through future studies (e.g., pastoral education, disability advocacy, and patient education). Data from all interviews will be collected and analyzed in time for presentation.
Conclusions: Patients with head and neck cancer are confronted not only by significant morbidity and mortality, but also with treatments that pose a risk to their psychosocial well-being, connection to faith communities, and overall sense of self. While religious and spiritual communities are proud to confront this demand, they likely need outside assistance in critically understanding their own abilities to supply such support. This project hopes to provide such assistance by working with religious leaders to identify gaps and better equip them in supporting their most in-need congregants. Our presentation at the 2023 Conference on Medicine and Religion will focus on our findings within the Clergy aspect of this research project to address gaps within the spiritual support of patients while cross-referencing a patient needs assessment to enhance interdisciplinary understanding for future intervention. Our presentation will enhance the opportunities for future intervention with the opportunity to share our findings with a greater interdisciplinary community.