Fostering Compassionate Spirituality: The Participatory Model for Palliative Care Education.

Abstract

Patients with terminal illnesses often endure profound physical, emotional, and spiritual distress. Nursing students play a vital role in alleviating this suffering through compassionate and holistic care. This study developed and evaluated a participatory model of palliative care education designed to enhance nursing students' spirituality in clinical practice. A mixed-method design was employed. Ten fourth-year nursing students engaged in focus group discussions to co-develop the model, which was subsequently implemented with third-year nursing students. Quantitative data were analyzed using means and standard deviations. The model comprises 4 sequential components: (1) simulated scenarios and case studies; (2) reflective conversations to explore patients' end-of-life needs; (3) relationship building with patients and their families; and (4) planning care transitions to home and community settings. The findings indicated a statistically significant improvement in nursing students' spirituality scores, increasing from a pre-intervention mean of 53.56 (SD = 3.87) to 56.87 (SD = 2.81) immediately after the intervention. This participatory model provides a structured and evidence-informed framework for nurse educators to cultivate spiritual awareness and compassionate care competencies among future palliative care nurses.