Interventions involving spiritual and religious themes in pharmacy student patient encounters during advanced practice rotations

Abstract

Introduction: Patient spiritual and religious beliefs can impact their health care choices and outcomes. Pharmacists and other health care providers need to be prepared when these beliefs present changes from usual medical care. The objective of this research brief was to describe interventions related to spirituality and/or religion that are encountered by students during advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) patient care activities.

Methods: Fourth-year pharmacy students were asked to complete a web-based questionnaire defining the frequency and setting of patient care activities that incorporated spiritual beliefs during APPEs. Data analysis utilized descriptive statistics.

Results: Sixty-three students completed the questionnaire. The most common theme encountered was that of patient refusal of specific therapy based on patient's spiritual or religious beliefs. This result remained consistent across multiple practice settings, except in the community practice setting, where product substitution due to a religious forbidden ingredient was the most common theme encountered.

Conclusions: Training for future and current pharmacists should provide them with the tools needed to navigate spiritual and religious-focused barriers, such as patient refusal of care and substitutes for religiously forbidden ingredients.

Keywords: Patient care; Pharmacist; Religiosity; Spirituality; Student pharmacist.