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The effectiveness of spiritual care training on medical students’ self-reported competencies: A quasi-experimental study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2023

Luciano Magalhães Vitorino Open the ORCID record for Luciano Magalhães Vitorino [Opens in a new window] ,
Pedro Henrique Machado Teixeira Open the ORCID record for Pedro Henrique Machado Teixeira [Opens in a new window] ,
Patricia Cabrelon Dominato ,
Maria Paula Cunha de Azevedo ,
Mariana Maciel Resende  and
Giancarlo Lucchetti Open the ORCID record for Giancarlo Lucchetti [Opens in a new window]
Luciano Magalhães Vitorino*
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of Itajubá, Itajubá, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Pedro Henrique Machado Teixeira
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of Itajubá, Itajubá, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Patricia Cabrelon Dominato
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of Itajubá, Itajubá, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Maria Paula Cunha de Azevedo
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of Itajubá, Itajubá, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Mariana Maciel Resende
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of Itajubá, Itajubá, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Giancarlo Lucchetti
Affiliation:
School of Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
*
Author for correspondence: Luciano Magalhães Vitorino, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of Itajubá, Rennó Júnior avenue, 368, Itajubá, Minas Gerais 37.550-030, Brazil. Email: lucianoenf@yahoo.com.br
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Abstract

Objectives

To evaluate the effectiveness of spiritual care training on medical students’ self-reported competencies.

Methods

This is a quasi-experimental (controlled and non-randomized) study including 115 Brazilian medical students. Participants were enrolled into 2 groups: fourth-year students (n = 64) who received spiritual care training and sixth-year students (n = 51) who did not receive this training – control group (i.e., usual teaching). Participants answered a self-reported Spiritual Care Competence Scale. Comparisons between groups were performed and effect sizes were reported.

Results

Providing a spiritual care training resulted in significantly higher self-reported scores for the dimensions of “Assessment” (d = 0.99), “Improvement of care” (d = 0.69), “Counseling (d = 0.88),” “Referral” (d = 0.75), and “Total Spiritual Care” (d = 1.044) as compared to the control group. Likewise, 21 out of 27 items of the Spiritual Care Competence Scale were significantly higher for the intervention group, presenting effect sizes (d) ranging between 0.428 and 1.032.

Significance of results

Medical students receiving spiritual care training showed greater self-reported competencies as compared to those in the usual teaching. These results reinforce the importance of promoting spirituality teaching in medical schools.

Keywords

Spirituality and healthMedical educationClinical competenceComparative study
Type
Original Article
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , April 2024 , pp. 251 - 257
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press.

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