Abstract
We aim to evaluate the perceptions of healthcare students while taking a spiritual history (SH). Fifty students were trained on how to take a SH, interviewed inpatients and answered a questionnaire concerning their perceptions. A total of 362 patients were interviewed: 60.1 % of students felt comfortable taking a SH, 85.1 % believed the patient liked the approach, and 72.1 % believed more benefits could come with a follow-up. When students felt more comfortable, they tended to believe the patient: liked the approach (p < 0.01), felt better (p < 0.01) and more motivated (p < 0.01). Spirituality/health educational strategies may be a valid strategy to prepare future health professionals to face spiritual issues in health scenarios.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to express our deep gratitude to Dr. Décio Iandoli Jr. for his valuable and constructive suggestions during the planning and development of LIASE project. His inspiring ideas, enthusiastic encouragement and willingness to give his time so generously have been very much appreciated. We also would like to acknowledge the support we have received from Dr. Juberty Antonio de Souza, member of the Department of Psychiatry at Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul. His unrestricted support to LIASE project was essential to convert ideas into reality. Finally, we also would like to thank Karina Heckler and Marcelo Mortari for their assistance with the collection of data.
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Gonçalves, L.M., Osório, I.H.S., Oliveira, L.L. et al. Learning from Listening: Helping Healthcare Students to Understand Spiritual Assessment in Clinical Practice. J Relig Health 55, 986–999 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-015-0146-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-015-0146-y