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Table 1 Overview of the course content

From: Learning to care for the spirit of dying patients: the impact of spiritual care training in a hospice-setting

Course curriculum

 

Curriculum element

Content/exercises/activities

1

Introducing spiritual care in a hospice setting

Introduction to the concept of spiritual care in Denmark and within hospice care

Introduction to the concept of Total pain; Physical, Social, psychological, and spiritual pain, and the specific challenges and barriers for spiritual care in a Danish, secular culture

2

Plenary discussions and group exercises

Discussion and reflexive exercises arranged in small groups, or in plenum, and with different instruments, e.g., visual aids or storytelling

Topics discussed and reflected on personal values, including spirituality, being present in the pain, the concept of dignity, spiritual self-care, hope, death, and afterlife

3

Improvised participatory theatre

Professional actors playing different fictive scenarios inspired by real events within a hospice setting, involving patients, relatives, and staff members

These scenarios involved dilemmas and difficult situations that one can face when providing spiritual care, e.g., angry relatives, patients in great distress, or staff members feeling insufficient in addressing patients’ spiritual needs

The staff members could play and rehearse these situations with the actors as well as discussing the difficulties with colleagues hopefully increasing their feeling of self-efficacy