Medical school exposure to spirituality and response to a hypothetical cancer patient.
BACKGROUND
Spiritual and religious issues (SRI) in medical school curricula may promote psychosocial and spiritual sensitivity, but few data exist on this relationship.


METHODS
A questionnaire was administered to third-year medical students (response rate = 69.2%). Students indicated exposure to SRI and read a vignette about a hypothetical cancer patient.


RESULTS
SRI exposure through lectures, small-group discussions, and physician modeling predicted, respectively, likelihood of extra attention toward the patient, conversing with the patient about dying, and praying with the patient.


CONCLUSIONS
Exposure to SRI in medical school may sensitize students to the psychosocial and spiritual needs of dying patients.
Chibnall
John T
JT
Department of Psychiatry, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63104, USA. chibnajt@slu.edu
Jeral
Joseph M
JM
Cerullo
Michael
M
Knorp
John F
JF
Duckro
Paul N
PN
D001293:Attitude to Death; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D029181:Spirituality; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States