Implementation and Assessment of a Spiritual History Taking Curriculum in the First Year of Medical School

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Abstract
The Association of American Medical Colleges has recommended addressing spirituality in the medical curriculum. To evaluate the impact of a spiritual history-taking curriculum on the skills, knowledge, and attitudes of 1st year medical students. The study implemented a spiritual history-taking curriculum in the 1st year of medical school that included reading assignments, practice history taking, and standardized patient (SP) scenarios with spiritual content. It assessed students' performance in three ways: (a) using a videotaped SP interview, (b) a survey of students' attitudes regarding incorporating patients' religious and cultural views into medical decision making, and (c) a written test question on their first examination. Students (146) took part in the medical school's spirituality curriculum, which included participation in videotaped interviews; 98% completed the initial survey, and 75% completed the follow-up survey. On the final videotaped SP interview, 65% of students were able to recognize the patient's spiritual concern according to trained faculty observers. On the attitude survey, there was an increased desire to accommodate patients' beliefs, although the magnitude of the increase was generally quite small. Ninety-four percent of students answered the test question correctly. Spiritual history taking can be integrated effectively into the existing history-taking curriculum in 1st year medical training.