Foundation Doctors' Understanding of Hospital Chaplaincy as Part of Holistic Care: A Cross-Sectional Survey at a District General Hospital in the United Kingdom.

Authors

Ho Yuen Jonathan Chiu, Geraldine Donnelly

Published in

Cureus. Volume 18. Issue 9. Pages e116550. Epub Sep 19, 2026.

Abstract

Hospital chaplaincy is an important component of holistic care, but its role may not be fully understood by foundation doctors during early postgraduate training. This cross-sectional survey explored foundation doctors' awareness, perceptions, and use of hospital chaplaincy services at a district general hospital in the United Kingdom. Of 83 eligible foundation doctors, 44 completed the anonymous questionnaire (53% response rate, 95% CI: 42.4-63.4%). Although 88.6% (95% CI: 76.0-95.0%) of respondents were aware that the hospital had a chaplaincy service, 63.6% (95% CI: 48.9-76.2%) were unfamiliar with referral pathways, and half reported receiving no formal chaplaincy teaching during medical school or foundation training. These findings suggest that awareness of chaplaincy services does not necessarily translate into practical referral knowledge. As frontline clinicians, foundation doctors require an understanding of multidisciplinary support services to provide holistic patient-centered care. Thus, brief chaplaincy teaching, clearer referral guidance, and inclusion of chaplaincy within induction and multidisciplinary education may help address this educational gap.

PMID:
42763697
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 20 Sep 2026.

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