Spirituality as a sociocultural determinant of health in the context of medical curriculum: A call for action

This study aimed to investigate the state of spirituality in the general medicine curricula in Iran.

Reference books for general medicine were reviewed and data were analyzed according to the qualitative content analysis method.

After reviewing references, it was found that only 35 paragraphs of the educational reference pages dealt with this subject. Related topics to spirituality had 2 major themes: (a) spirituality and care (assessment, treatment, palliative care, and bereavement); (b) spirituality and professionalism (considering culture and medical ethics).

This study showed that despite the importance of the subject and much evidence on spirituality and medicine, medical references have limitations. The authors suggested some strategies to develop a specific course and integrate all educational references with the objectives of the general medical education course in Iran.