Spiritual care competencies among nursing students in the middle East and Asia: a systematic review

UNPAD Faculty of Nursing Champions Global Study on Spiritual Care Competencies in Asia and the Middle East

A recent systematic review led by Inggriane Puspita Dewi from the Doctoral Nursing Program, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran (UNPAD) sheds light on the importance of integrating spiritual care into nursing curricula. Spiritual care, addressing emotional, psychological, and existential dimensions of health, is a vital element of holistic nursing practice. While recognized globally, its systematic evaluation in undergraduate nursing education within the Middle East and Asia has remained limited.

Following PRISMA-P guidelines and registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024552137), the review analyzed 1,350 articles, identifying 10 eligible studies involving 749 undergraduate nursing students from Iran, Taiwan, and Turkey. These interventions, ranging from one month to a full semester, combined theoretical instruction with clinical practice and consistently demonstrated improvements in students’ self-awareness, attitudes, knowledge, and practical spiritual care skills.

This collaborative research brought together institutions across Asia, including the Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Aisyiyah Bandung (Indonesia); Faculty of Nursing, Prince of Songkhla University (Thailand); Public Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran (Indonesia); and multiple nursing faculties in Iran, Taiwan, and Turkey. The project highlights UNPAD’s commitment to advancing healthcare education through international partnerships.

The study aligns closely with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, SDG 4: Quality Education, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals), emphasizing the role of globally connected education in achieving equitable, high-quality patient care.

📖 Read more: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03047-3