Effectiveness of an Educational Intervention to Teach Spiritual Care to Spanish Nursing Students

Abstract

Spirituality and spiritual care in professional nursing are conceptualised and recognised as fundamental components of holistic healthcare. Despite the acceptance of and interest in spiritual care, a lack of education and clinical training on the subject limits nurses’ ability to meet patients’ spiritual needs. Consequently, the aim of this study was to analyse the effectiveness of a training programme designed to teach the specific knowledge, attitudes and competencies necessary to provide spiritual care in nursing practice. This study consisted of a one-group pre-post intervention design with two measurement times (baseline/pre-intervention and post-intervention). A teaching activity about spiritual care in nursing practice was designed and implemented (focal groups, open discussion, discussion groups and clinical case studies). The educational intervention was developed by the authors based on a literature review, research and feedback from the undergraduate students. A convenience sample of 369 nursing students at the University of Alicante (Spain) who were enrolled in the teaching subject of Psychology participated in this study. The effectiveness of the teaching activity was assessed through a self-administered 15-item questionnaire. The post-intervention results indicated that the programme was effective in improving knowledge, competencies and attitudes related to spiritual care. The implications of this study for teaching practice and future research are discussed.