Effectiveness of spiritual care training for rehabilitation professionals: An exploratory controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Spirituality has been recognised to play an important role in neurorehabilitation, however research findings indicate that rehabilitation professionals do not feel well equipped to deliver spiritual care. Objective: To evaluate a spiritual care training program for rehabilitation professionals. Methods: An exploratory controlled trial was conducted. Participants enrolled in a two-module spiritual care training program. Spiritual care competency was measured with the Spiritual Care Competency Scale. Confidence and comfort levels were measured using the domains of the Spiritual Care Competency Scale. The Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale assessed participant attitudes and knowledge. Measures were administered three times: pre-program, post-program and six weeks after program completion. Results: The training was attended by 41 rehabilitation professionals working in spinal cord or traumatic brain injury. Thirty-two control group participants were recruited. Multilevel models found that for levels of spiritual care competency, confidence, comfort, and ratings on existential spirituality, pre intervention scores increased significantly in the intervention group at post intervention (p < 0.05) and were maintained at follow-up. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated that a spiritual care training program was effective in increasing levels of self-reported competency, confidence and comfort in delivery of spiritual care for rehabilitation professionals.