The Spiritual Aspect of Patient Care in the Curricula of Colleges of Pharmacy

Objectives. The objective of this project was to determine the extent to which the spiritual aspect of patient care is addressed in pharmacy curricula. Methods. Curriculum committee chairs and student leaders at all schools of pharmacy in the United States and Canada (n=94) were surveyed via mailed questionnaire. Results. Usable responses were received from 71.3% of the curriculum committee chairs and 57.4% of student leaders. Although only 21.4% of respondents indicated that their curriculum includes instruction on the spiritual aspect of patient care, 62.9% of chairs feel that this is appropriate content and 90.7% of student leaders believe that spirituality can impact health. Conclusions. In training the next generation of patient-centered pharmacy practitioners, consideration of all aspects of human behavior, including spirituality, is important.