Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40968658›Full record

ReviewThe Permanente journal2025

Spirituality in Serious Illness Education: A Narrative Review of Medical School Curricula From 2000 to 2024.

Luke Okamuro, Meachelle Lum, January Turner, Christine Liu, Janet Ma, Christopher Ahn, Bethia Kwok, David Larson, Andre Cipta

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in The Permanente journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Luke OkamuroTouro University California, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Vallejo, CA, USA.
Meachelle LumDavid Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
January TurnerBoard Certified Clinical Chaplain, Kaiser Permanente, San Diego, CA, USA.
Christine LiuDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, University of Texas at Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA.
Janet MaDepartment of Medicine-Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Christopher AhnKeck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Bethia KwokDepartment of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
David LarsonDepartment of Plastic Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Andre CiptaDepartment of Clinical Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3979-3426

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionSpirituality is increasingly recognized as an integral component of patient-centered care in serious illness. Despite substantial evidence supporting its benefits, the integration of spiritual care into medical education remains inconsistent. This narrative review examines how spiritual care is incorporated into serious illness curricula in medical schools and evaluates its impact on student learning.

methodsArticles published between 2000 and 2024 describing medical school curricula addressing spiritual care in palliative care, serious illness, hospice, or end-of-life care were reviewed. Studies were categorized using the Kirkpatrick 4-tier framework to evaluate educational outcomes.

resultsAmong the 1974 studies screened, 85 met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 31 (36.5%) explicitly mentioned spirituality as part of the curricula. Only 16 studies (18.8%) assessed student growth in spiritual care competencies, focusing primarily on student reactions (n = 9), followed by changes in self-reported efficacy (n = 5), knowledge gains (n = 2), and skill gains (n = 1).

conclusionDespite evidence linking spirituality to improved health outcomes in serious illness, spiritual care remains underrepresented in medical school curricula. Substantial variability in teaching methods and assessment strategies highlights the need for structured, evidence-informed frameworks to better prepare future physicians to address the spiritual needs of patients facing serious illness.

Indexed as

Critical IllnessCurriculumEducation, MedicalSpiritualityHumansPalliative CareSchools, MedicalTerminal Care

Identifiers

PMID40968658
PMCPMC12703530

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.