A Survey on the Integration of Spiritual Care in Medical Schools from the German-Speaking Faculties

Figures & data

Figure 1 Included medical schools (study flowchart).

Figure 2 Perceived importance of spiritual care aspects in patients´ treatment.

Figure 3 Implementation of spiritual care teaching on different levels of the education program (multiple choice).

Table 1 Topics Currently Taught in the Spiritual Care Context (Undergraduate Medical Education, Multiple Choice)

Teaching Content	n
Doctor–patient communication	12
Perception of spiritual aspects of the patient	12
Handling seriously ill patients and their relatives	11
Difference between religiousness and spirituality	10
Definition of spirituality	9
Handling spiritual/religious aspects of the patient	9
Breaking bad news	9
Grief/mourning/bereavement	9
Spiritual self-assessment	5
Spiritual anamnesis	5
Role of spirituality in the health care system	4
Others	2

Table 2 Topics the Respondents Would Like to Strengthen in Undergraduate Medical Education (Multiple Choice)

Teaching Content Needs	n
Role of spirituality in the health care system	9
Finding and self-evaluation of own spirituality	9
Perception of spiritual aspects of the patient	9
Spiritual self-assessment	9
Grief/mourning/bereavement	8
Handling spiritual/religious aspects of the patient	7
Doctor–patient communication	6
Spiritual anamnesis	5
Definition of spirituality	5
Difference between religiousness and spirituality	5
Breaking bad news	4
Others	1

Table 3 Patients’ Perspective and Doctors’/Students’ Perspective Categories

Category	Quotes
Patients’ perspective	For patients whose spiritual needs arise during their illness spiritual care can give comfort in case of seriously ill and dying outcomes
	The spiritual side of a disease is usually the part which receives less attention, while exactly this side is perceived as the most relevant by the patient.
	Through spiritual care, patients can also get to learn self-care.
	Spiritual care should be integrated as a basic element in the medical approach to the disease.
Health professionals’ perspective	Spiritual care can contribute to seeing the human being as a whole, and a regular teaching of this subject should help students be better prepared for the clinical practice.
	The international shift of the society demands more and more skills in this direction.
	Physicians suffer from high burn-out rates and lack of self-care in the clinical setting. Promoting spiritual care in the sense of self-care and resilience could positively affect doctors and therefore patient’s well-being.

Box 1 Improving SC Teaching in Medical Schools (Repondents’ Suggestions Summarized)

Definitions of specific learning goals in the forthcoming UME masterplan

Embedding SC in the clinical routine

Sensitization about this subject in the UME, GME, and CME using “train the trainers” meetings

Identifying SC subjects in ME fields not explicitly dedicated to SC

Integration of SC into Disease-Management Programs

Fostering the matching between patients 'spiritual needs and health professionals' spiritual competence

Learning from SC in the palliative context and transferring this knowledge to other clinical and ME fields

“It should be seen as an integral part of caregiving/practice and not some sort of odd special add-on”