Perceptions of Spirituality Among Occupational Therapy Practitioners: An Exploratory Study of End-of-life Care

This 14-week capstone project was structured around research and advocacy regarding the role OT practitioners have in addressing client spirituality in end-of-life care. The research utilized an exploratory and descriptive design investigating how OT practitioners address and perceive spirituality and spiritual care in palliative or hospice settings. Additionally, the capstone consisted of advocating for the presence of OT in end-of-life care and the need to address spirituality in OT practice. The primary outcome of the capstone project was completing a dissemination-ready research manuscript, and the secondary outcome was conducting a lunch and learn with 1st and 2nd-year occupational therapy students. There was a total of 10 end-of-life OT practitioners who participated in the research study. Of the 10, eight practitioners were from various regions around the US, and two were from Europe. The end-of-life OT participants appeared to understand spirituality and spiritual care based on the research survey results. However, further research is needed regarding best practice guidelines for addressing spirituality in OT. There were 13 occupational therapy students who attended the zoom lunch and learn presentation, and 100% either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that the presentation was beneficial for their professional development, that they had a better understanding regarding the difference between religion and spirituality, and that they have a better understanding regarding how to address client spirituality in practice