Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41798881›Full record

ReviewAmerican journal of lifestyle medicine2026

Integrating Meaning, Purpose, and Spirituality (MPS) Within Lifestyle Medicine Education and Training: Core Competencies to Support Whole-Person Care.

Jessica A Matthews, Liana Lianov, Gowri Anandarajah, Christina M Puchalski, Nathan M Jones, Christina Miller, Michele M Suhie, Elizabeth P Frates, Mary Gannon Kaufmann, Shiho Ito and 7 more

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in American journal of lifestyle medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
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

17 authors.

Jessica A MatthewsCollege of Health Sciences, Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, CA, USA (JAM, LM).ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8724-8900
Liana LianovGlobal Positive Health Institute, Sacramento, CA, USA (LL).ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7787-3198
Gowri AnandarajahThe Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA (GA).
Christina M PuchalskiGeorge Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health (GWish), George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA (CMP).
Nathan M JonesUniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA (NMJ).
Christina MillerDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA (CM).ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4004-6081
Michele M SuhieCollege of Health Professions, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, USA (MMS).ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5354-6452
Elizabeth P FratesHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA (EPF).
Mary Gannon KaufmannThe Renewed Practitioner, Elizabeth, CO, USA (MGK).
Shiho ItoSchool of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA (SI).
Valerie A SmithChaplain, Yerington, NV, USA (VAS).
Deepa SannidhiDepartment of Family Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA (DS).
Taylor B HayesDepartment of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA (TBH).ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3251-6509
Laurel MillerCollege of Health Sciences, Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, CA, USA (JAM, LM).
Gregory MillerCornerstone Group Consultants, Loma Linda, CA, USA (GM).
Selina S ChenKapi'olani Medical Center, Hawai'i Pacific Health, Honolulu, HI, USA (SSC).
Edward M PhillipsVA Boston Healthcare System, West Roxbury, MA, USA (EMP).

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Spirituality is a vital, yet sometimes misunderstood component of whole-person care. A growing body of evidence links meaning, purpose, and spirituality (MPS) with improved health outcomes, greater patient satisfaction, and enhanced clinician well-being. In 2024, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted Resolution 304 (A-24), advocating for the integration of MPS education throughout medical training and continuing education. Despite previous consensus statements and competencies from other professional organizations and accrediting bodies, such as the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), MPS-related competencies remain inconsistently embedded within health professions education, including within lifestyle medicine (LM). Objective: To examine competencies, consensus statements and current evidence for spiritual care across various disciplines in order to discern common elements to support the establishment of MPS competencies within lifestyle medicine education and training. Results: The competencies reviewed frame person-centered care through an expanded lens of the human person as biopsychosocial-spiritual. Across disciplines, 5 common categories of competencies emerged, which include: (1) An understanding of whole-person care and broad definitions of spirituality and religion; (2) clinician spiritual self-awareness and self-care, including exploration of potential biases and barriers to patient-centered care; (3) ethical practice, cultural sensitivity, and respect for diversity, including not imposing one's own personal beliefs (or lack thereof) on the patient; (4) spiritual assessment, communication and care planning skills in patient interactions, including team-based collaboration and referral to spiritual care professionals; (5) clinician therapeutic skills, including compassionate presence, active listening, sensitive communication, motivational interviewing and shared decision-making. Conclusion: Incorporating MPS competencies within LM education aligns with the updated pillar of connectedness, recognizing spirituality as a core driver of lifestyle behavior change. Embedding MPS competencies across the continuum of health professions education represents a timely, evidence-based, and ethically grounded step toward delivering more compassionate, sustainable, and impactful person-centered care.

Indexed as

lifestyle medicinemeaningmedical educationpurposespiritualitywhole-person care

Identifiers

PMID41798881
PMCPMC12962987

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

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.