Abstract
Providing spiritual care to patients can result in improved health outcomes and health-related quality of life. However, healthcare professionals feel largely unprepared to address spiritual health. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of an interprofessional training session on student spiritual health and perceived confidence and competence in sharing their faith with patients. An all-day, interprofessional workshop to assist students in assessing their own spiritual health, identifying opportunities to address patient spiritual health, and sharing their faith ethically was incorporated. Nursing, pharmacy, allied health/kinesiology, psychology, and pre-med students attended and completed assessments related to the student outcomes pre-workshop, post-workshop, and at 3, 6, and 9 months post-workshop. Significant improvements in perceived confidence and competence were documented initially and longitudinally. Baseline student spiritual health was high; only participation in Christian activities significantly improved in the assessment of their spiritual health. Further study is necessary to fully understand the impact of this training on student spiritual health. Nonetheless, incorporation of this training can better prepare students to engage in spiritual care of patients and share their own faith with others ethically as opportunities arise.
Highlights
When experiencing a chronic or acute illness, patients face a variety of concerns that go beyond physical aspects
This study presents a first step in preparing students to approach spiritual care and provides an assessment of students’ spiritual health as it relates to their confidence in approaching spiritual care in professional practice
Our findings show that students had a midpoint level of confidence and preparedness for having spiritual conversations with patients prior to the Saline Process training with median responses at neutral or below, despite believing in the importance of doing so
Summary
When experiencing a chronic or acute illness, patients face a variety of concerns that go beyond physical aspects. Providing unidimensional care instead of holistic care leaves an unfulfilled gap for these patients, as spirituality enhances health-related quality of life in chronic disease.[1] MacLean et al surveyed patients in a primary care setting and found that 66% of them thought that their physicians should be aware of their religious or spiritual. Beliefs.[2] In a survey of 54 studies, Best, Butow, & Olver found that a majority of patients express interest in discussing religion and spirituality in medical consultations.[3] Patients perceive that spirituality discussions may assist in positive religious-based coping, greater collaboration, and increased faith.[4]
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