Spirituality in Clinical Practice: The Perspective of Brazilian Medical Students

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the beliefs, opinions, and experiences of medical students from a Catholic confessional university concerning spirituality in medical practice. This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study with a sample of 323 undergraduate students, of which 162 were in their first two years of their studies and 161 in the final two years. A validated questionnaire consisting of 58 questions was applied. Although the spiritual dimension was recognized as important for patient care, 95% of students were not familiar with spiritual and religious issues. Advanced students reported that they had not received adequate training in this area. Therefore, this topic should be included in the medical curriculum, preferably in the first years.