Linking hospital chaplains and faith communities to improve end-of-life care for people with advanced cancer
Bridge to Better End-of-Life Care for Patients with Cancer: Connecting Healthcare Chaplains with Spiritual Care Providers in Faith Communities
This project connects hospital chaplains with patients' faith leaders to better meet spiritual needs and support end-of-life choices for people with advanced cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11190996 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If I join, healthcare chaplains at my cancer clinic will reach out to leaders from my faith community so we can share information and plan spiritual support together. The team will collect my reports about spiritual needs, interview clergy and chaplains, and review medical records to see how care decisions and hospice use change. The work focuses on outpatient oncology clinics and aims to reduce unwanted aggressive treatments at the end of life by improving communication between medical and faith-based caregivers. The project combines surveys, interviews, and chart review to track both spiritual support and end-of-life outcomes.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with advanced cancer receiving outpatient oncology care who identify religion or spirituality as important to them and who belong to or want contact with a faith community.
Not a fit: Patients who do not identify with a faith community or who do not want chaplain or faith-community involvement may not benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could help patients get spiritual support that aligns with their values and lead to less burdensome end-of-life care and greater hospice use.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research shows that meeting spiritual needs through medical chaplains is linked to more hospice use and fewer ICU deaths, while intentionally connecting medical and faith-based spiritual care is a newer, less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Maciejewski, Paul K — Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
- Study coordinator: Maciejewski, Paul K
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.