Document Type

Article

Department

Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Abstract

Objective: To assess and compare the dimensions of spiritual wellness as elements of quality care in medical students of private and public medical universities.
Methods: The cross-sectional study was carried out at private and public medical universities in Karachi from November 2013 to January 2015.Students from both genders and all ethnic groups19-23 years of age were included. The responses of spiritual wellness were obtained and evaluated on a four-point Likert's scale; score ranging from 0-3. Data was analysed using Predictive Analysis Software version 18.
Results: Out of 736 students, 286 (38.9%) were from public medical universities and 450 (61.1%) were from private-sector institutions. Students of both types of universities were aware of the concept of spiritual wellness but the level of awareness needed scaling up. Public-sector students had a stronger will, were more physically and mentally alert, more compassionate, empathetic and enthusiastic about their relationship with patients than their private-sector counterparts (p<0.05). They used spiritual wellness as a coping strategy to deal with difficult situations through religious activities. Though attentive listening was a predominant feature in both groups, the use of communication skills required particular attention to improve the element of compassionate care.

Publication (Name of Journal)

JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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