Teaching nursing students about spiritual care - a review of the literature

Abstract

Aim: This paper examines that examines content, process and outcome of spirituality teaching programmes for nursing students.

Background: Increased secularisation in Europe and resulting ambivalent attitude towards spirituality and religion is contrasted with increased professional and public interest in this topic. Additionally there are concerns that patient's spiritual needs are not being met and nurses are often ill equipped to provide this care. Nurses while positively disposed towards spiritual care delivery, and often carrying out spiritual care in practice, do so with little preparation. While teaching spiritual care to nursing students is advocated there is little research on this topic.

Method: A search was conducted using CINAHL database spanning the years 2007-2012 using the key words 'spirituality' and 'education'.

Findings: Three papers were identified that examined teaching approaches with nurses and nursing students. Due to methodological issues such as small sample sizes and limited testing generalising from these studies is difficult. Approaches used were firmly rooted in a religiosity framework.

Conclusion: Further research is required, using rigorous approaches, examining the benefits of teaching approaches. Analysis of the need for spiritual education is also required. Issues that are of concern to educators are the definitions and understandings of spirituality, assessment and how, best to teach this topic.

Keywords: Care; Care provision; Nurses; Nursing; Spirituality.