WJC11 Session 4 - Perceived Racial Bias and Potential Impacts on Spiritual Care: Making a Case for Evidence-Based Practice

Description:

Overview:
What do we know about perceptions of racial bias and the impact upon those receiving care? In this qualitative study from a VA healthcare setting, eighty-five (85) African American Veterans were interviewed about their evaluation of verbal and non-verbal cues for racial bias that influence their receptivity to care. Special attention will be given to the portion of the article focused on implications for practice and exploring how those implications from a mental healthcare context may be relevant for inpatient, outpatient, and other spiritual care contexts.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe perceptions of racial bias reported by African Americans utilizing mental healthcare services
• Examine the use of qualitative interviews as a research methodology
• Discuss implications for culturally responsive spiritual care delivery as a component of evidence-based practice

Reading:
Eliacin J, Matthias MS, Cunningham B, Burgess DJ. Veterans’ perceptions of racial bias in VA mental healthcare and their impacts on patient engagement and patient-provider communication. Patient education and counseling. 2020 Sep 1;103(9):1798-804. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2020.03.017

Presenters:
Rev. Marilyn J. D. Barnes MS MA MPH BCC, serves as the Chair of the Department of Patient Counseling within the College of Health Professions at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and the Director of Pastoral Care at VCU Medical Center. She previously served as the Vice President of Mission and Spiritual Care in the Advocate Aurora Health Care System in Illinois. She is a 2018 Transforming Chaplaincy Fellow graduate. Her research interests include the use of simulation in chaplaincy training and education, the impact of spiritual/religious coping on the association between discrimination and stress among midlife women, and the experiences of health care chaplains of color.

Cate Michelle Desjardins MDiv MPH BCC, is the Executive Director of Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship and convener of the Pediatrics Spiritual Care Research Network. She previously served for five years in various roles at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Her research interests include the role of religion in surrogate decision-making and in coping with caregiving for children with complex medical needs. She completed the Transforming Chaplaincy Research Fellowship in 2019.

Rev. Shelley Varner-Perez MDiv MPH BCC CPH, is Senior Program Manager and Chaplain-Researcher at Indiana University (IU) Health, Indianapolis, as well as an Affiliated Research Scientist in the Center for Aging Research with the Regenstrief Institute. She previously served nine years as a chaplain at VA Portland Health Care System in Portland, Oregon. She completed the Transforming Chaplaincy Research Fellowship in 2019 at the conclusion of a Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology. Her research interests include spiritual care with family surrogate decision-makers and staff support following code blue events, as well as using art to engage those who are non-religious/unaffiliated.

How It Works:
When you purchase this recording, you will receive a link to access the recording. There will also be a link to access in the My Downloads and Links section of your APC profile.