Reflective Journaling as Preparation for Spiritual Care of Patients

Death is a human experience; however, an understanding of dying, grief, and loss continues to elude many cultures, even more elusive is the understanding of complicated grief for families and burnout for providers caring for the dying patient and their families. To prepare students taking care of dying patients and their families, the Catalyzing Relationships at the End of Life program included addressing perceptions of one's own death through journal reflection. The Catalyzing Relationships at the End of Life program utilized journals to ascertain student understanding of issues surrounding family communication at the end of life. Journal reflections were embedded in an online learning management system and utilized structured prompts as the journaling method. These prompts addressed what students desire for their own family relationships during their own death. Results from the qualitative descriptive analysis included 4 themes: meaning, beliefs, connections, and good death. Reflections about their own death were a powerful experience for student participants. Although questions about spirituality were not specifically asked, themes relating to spirituality emerged from the data.