ArticlePloS one2026
Digital transformation of spiritual care education: A scoping review protocol of technology-enhanced learning for nursing students and professionals.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSpiritual care is a fundamental yet often under-addressed component of holistic nursing, with nurses and nursing students globally reporting limited competency. Traditional education models face challenges in accessibility, scalability, and pedagogical depth. While digital technologies offer transformative potential for learning, the evidence regarding their application and effectiveness in spiritual care education remains fragmented and insufficiently synthesized.
objectiveThis scoping review aims to systematically map the existing literature on the use of digital technologies in spiritual care education and training specifically for nurses and nursing students.
methodsThe review will be conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews and reported per the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A comprehensive search will be performed across multiple databases (e.g., MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, CNKI, WanFang) from inception, supplemented by grey literature searches. Two independent reviewers will screen records, select studies, and extract data using a standardized form. We will include empirical studies focusing on digital interventions (e.g., online courses, mobile apps, virtual simulations) designed to develop spiritual care competency in the target population. Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. ANTICIPATED
resultsThe review will generate a comprehensive map and classification of existing digital spiritual education interventions, detailing their technological characteristics, pedagogical strategies, outcome measures, and implementation facilitators and barriers. It is expected to identify key evidence gaps and inconsistencies in the field. For example, we anticipate identifying virtual simulation, online modules, and mobile apps as the most common categories. SIGNIFICANCE: This will be the first scoping review to systematically consolidate evidence on digital spiritual education for nurses. The findings will provide a foundational resource to inform the future design, implementation, and evaluation of theoretically grounded, effective, and scalable digital training models, ultimately aiming to enhance spiritual care competence in nursing practice. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: OSF registration number: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/7VNHF.
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Registered trials
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.