Pharmacy students' attitudes and beliefs about spirituality and spiritual care in professional education in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Introduction: A majority of Zimbabweans are religious and/or spiritual. Spirituality and spiritual care (SC) are important parts of patient care. The study's objective was to investigate pharmacy students' attitudes/beliefs about spirituality and SC in pharmacy education and practice in Zimbabwe. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive nationwide study gathered data from pharmacy students at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) and Harare Institute of Technology. The 38-item survey measured students' spirituality and SC perspectives and their religious and demographic characteristics. Results: Most respondents were Christian (89%), female (54%), and attended the UZ (63%). Slightly over half agreed/strongly agreed that they “would like to undertake coursework that will make them competent in providing SC to patients” (52%), SC education would improve their clinical performance (51%), and education that promotes spiritual well-being or integration will make them more empathetic and compassionate practitioners (63%). Pharmacy students also believed that more education on spirituality should be given to pharmacy students (48%), SC is an important part of pharmacy practice (74%), “discussing patients' spiritual or religious beliefs can improve the pharmacist-patient relationship” (74%), and anticipated to incorporate spirituality into professional practice upon graduation (50%). Conclusions: Most pharmacy students in Zimbabwe considered themselves spiritual/religious and had positive perceptions about spirituality and SC in pharmacy education and practice. There was a positive association between students' personal religiosity and their beliefs about SC. Students anticipated that SC would be incorporated into their education and future professional practice and indicated they wanted more education and training to feel competent in SC.