CLINICAL CHAPLAINCY AS AN INTEGRATIVE RESOURCE IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY POST-STROKE REHABILITATION: A MODEL OF TEAM-BASED COLLABORATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32689/2663-0672-2025-2-3Keywords:
post-stroke rehabilitation, healthcare chaplain, clinical chaplaincy, spiritual support, multidisciplinary teamAbstract
Acute cerebrovascular disorders remain one of the major medical and socio-economic problems in the world. In Ukraine, during a full-scale war, the incidence of stroke is increasing, associated with chronic stress and limited access to medical care. Under such conditions, comprehensive post-stroke rehabilitation that integrates a spiritual component becomes particularly important for improving the quality of life of patients and their families. International experience suggests involving medical chaplains in multidisciplinary teams, but there is still a lack of specialized research on the effectiveness of this approach in medical practice.Objective. To analyze the contribution of medical chaplains to post-stroke rehabilitation and identify their key functions.Materials and Methods. An assessment of publications from international and Ukrainian sources (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar) was conducted. Bibliosemantic analysis, content analysis and structural-logical synthesis based on systems thinking principles were applied.Results and Discussion. Stroke is accompanied not only by neurological deficits but also by existential crises and a high prevalence of depression among patients and caregivers. Studies confirm that meeting spiritual needs contributes to better psychological adaptation and motivation for rehabilitation. Clinical chaplaincy provides targeted support, from addressing existential issues to mediating complex clinical decisions. Research data confirms that the presence of a chaplain in the rehabilitation team harmonizes the interprofessional interaction between specialists, strengthens patient trust, and reduces the risk of professional burnout among medical staff. However, the level of medical chaplaincy implementation remains inconsistent and requires further standardisation.Conclusions. Clinical chaplaincy plays an integrative role in multidisciplinary post-stroke rehabilitation by enriching the traditional biopsychosocial approach with a spiritual dimension. The main areas of a healthcare chaplain’s work include spiritual and psychological support, ethical moderation, and medico-social advocacy. Involving chaplaincy specialists in rehabilitation teams is a promising step towards strengthening patient-centred and comprehensive recovery after stroke.
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