Educational interventions and strategies for spiritual care in nursing and healthcare students and staff: A scoping review

Abstract

Aims and objectives To map existing evidence about educational interventions or strategies in nursing and allied healthcare concerning students’ and staffs’ spiritual care provision. Background Spiritual care is an important part of whole person care, but healthcare staff lack competence and awareness of spiritual issues in practice. To rectify this, it is important to identify what educational approaches are most helpful in supporting them to provide spiritual care. Design A scoping review using the PRISMA‐ScR checklist. Method Searches in the databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, ATLA and ERIC were conducted for papers spanning January 2009–May 2020. Search terms were related to spirituality, spiritual care, education and clinical teaching. Appraisal tools were used. Results From the 2128 potentially relevant papers, 36 were included. The studies were from 15 different countries and involved nurses, physicians and other health‐related professions, and both quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods were used. The results are presented in three themes: Understanding of spirituality, Strategies in educational settings, and Strategies in practice settings. The review points to great diversity in the content, lengths and setting of the educational interventions or strategies. Conclusions Courses in spiritual care should be implemented in curricula in both undergraduate and postgraduate education, and several studies suggest it should be mandatory. Courses should also be available for healthcare staff to raise awareness and to encourage the integration of spiritual care into their everyday practice. There is a need for greater consensus about how spirituality and spiritual care are described in healthcare settings. Relevance to clinical practice Spiritual care must be included both in monodisciplinary and multidisciplinary educational settings. The main result of spiritual care courses is in building awareness of spiritual issues and self‐awareness. To ensure the provision of spiritual care for patients in healthcare practices, continuing and multidisciplinary education is recommended.

Understanding Spiritual Care—Perspectives from Healthcare Professionals in a Norwegian Nursing Home

“…Nevertheless, according to research done in Norway, healthcare professionals find it hard to address spiritual care in practice (Ødbehr et al 2014). Therefore, it is necessary to investigate nursing home staff's perspectives on spiritual care (Mlinar Reljić et al 2021) and explore how spirituality and spiritual care are understood in healthcare settings (Rykkje et al 2021).…”

Spiritual care in Australian general practice nursing: An interpretive descriptive study

“…The PNs identified the individual and personal nature of spirituality. This has hindered the development of a global definition as noted also by Rykkje et al (2021). Appropriate training and tools have been identified as inadequate in undergraduate programs and in the availability of document templates.…”

“…A training program was piloted in Australia and its impact reviewed (Cooper & Chang, 2016). Rykkje et al (2021) noted that due to cultural and contextual differences between countries and nursing fields, spiritual care training courses are not always transferrable or acceptable. At best, the results of spiritual care courses are an improved awareness of spiritual issues and self‐awareness (Rykkje et al, 2021).…”

“…Appropriate training and tools have been identified as inadequate in undergraduate programs and in the availability of document templates. A training program was piloted in Australia and its impact reviewed(Cooper & Chang, 2016) Rykkje et al (2021). noted that due to cultural and contextual differences between countries and nursing fields, spiritual care training courses are not always transferrable or acceptable.…”

“…noted that due to cultural and contextual differences between countries and nursing fields, spiritual care training courses are not always transferrable or acceptable. At best, the results of spiritual care courses are an improved awareness of spiritual issues and self-awareness(Rykkje et al, 2021).The EPICC project in Europe has aimed to incorporate 3 decades of accrued knowledge about spiritual care into a "live," collaborative toolkit to be used by nursing and midwifery educators. It is an attempt to close the gap between practitioner knowledge about spiritual care and expectations that it be a part of holistic or person-centered care(McSherry et al, 2021).…”