Who Are My People?: A Qualitative Analysis of the Hospice Interprofessional Team

The hospice interprofessional team is partially regulated by Medicare, but more frequently, additional members are being added to the interprofessional team for holistic care and symptom management. Hospice chaplains, music therapists, and massage therapists care for different aspects of hospice patients when compared to the better known nurses and physicians. The purpose of this research is to explore the role of the hospice chaplain, music therapist, and massage therapist on the hospice interprofessional team from their subjective point of view related to role and value on the team. Through an anonymous survey, a convivence sample of hospice chaplains and music therapists was recruited for this study. A total of six participants completed the study which included five chaplains and one music therapist.. Deductive thematic analysis was completed and the following themes were identified: attitude of the hospice organization fostered value in the roles of hospice chaplains and music therapists, longer working relationships created understanding of role and scope, working through patient experiences together assisted in role clarity, and all respondents voiced feeling appreciation for other members of the interprofessional team. Implications of this study could include education the hospice interprofessional team with on-boarding which could allow for higher caliber interprofessional collaboration sooner. Additionally, encouraging co-visits between professions could allow for further understanding of role and scope and build mutual respect. This study had limitations including it's sample size and no respondents from the massage therapy profession. Further research could expand on the roles included in data collection to include other members of the interprofessional teams and patients.