Spiritual intelligence in nursing education, an increasingly recognized resource

Abstract

Introduction: Nursing is a discipline involving comprehensive care of human beings, encompassing physical, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions. In this context, Spiritual Intelligence (SI) has been identified as an emerging educational resource with the potential to strengthen professional practice, caregiver well-being, and quality of care.
Objective: Explore, through a scoping review, the scientific findings surrounding the integration of SI in nursing education and its applications in educational and clinical settings.
Method: A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O'Malley protocol, with a systematic search of the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, Medline, BVS–LILACS, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases through October 2023. Broad inclusion criteria were applied in terms of language, methodological design, and scope of study. Of the 2,357 records identified, 14 studies met the final selection criteria. Most of the studies come from Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, including research in both educational and clinical settings.
Results: The review showed that including SI in nurse training improves key skills such as verbal and nonverbal communication, critical thinking, emotional self-regulation, and clinical decision-making. It also promotes positive moods, a sense of purpose, vocation, and job satisfaction. The benefits extend to the care provided, reflecting in better perceived quality of care, reduced patient anxiety, fewer hospital remissions, and lower healthcare costs. However, much of SI training occurs in isolation, through self-study or extracurricular activities, underscoring the need to formally integrate it into curricula.
Conclusions: Spiritual intelligence is a fundamental skill for nursing from a holistic perspective. Its systematic incorporation into the academic curriculum can enhance students' overall development, improve their academic and professional performance, strengthen caregivers' mental health, and optimize health outcomes. It is recommended to promote educational models that integrate SI across the board, as well as to encourage qualitative studies in diverse contexts that enrich the understanding and cultural adaptation of this construct.