Many healthcare systems now offer virtual spiritual care to chronically ill patients. These patients, unlike critically ill patients in hospital settings, have no clear discharge date. This leaves it up to chaplains to decide when their care for these patients will end. So far, no clear disciplinary standards have been developed for how or when to end care. For example, should chaplains follow the 3-4 visit and refer out rule that many faith leaders follow in their own communities? Or has virtual spiritual care opened up new avenues for longitudinal care that chaplains not only can but should explore? This presentation answers the latter question in the affirmative and offers a longitudinal virtual spiritual care model that has been developed over the course of five years in a population health setting.
Joe Chapman is a board-certified chaplain with five years of experience in virtual spiritual care. He is currently staff chaplain at the Mercy Virtual Care Center in Chesterfield, Missouri. Before working in virtual care, he completed his residency at St. Louis University Hospital. He has a background in philosophy, poetry, and literature, and has taught at the University of Virginia and the University of Michigan.