Background: Spiritual and religious issues (SRI) in medical school curricula may promote psychosocial and spiritual sensitivity, but few data exist on this relationship.
Method: A questionnaire was administered to third-year medical students (response rate = 69.2%). Students indicated exposure to SRI and read a vignette about a hypothetical cancer patient.
Results: SRI exposure through lectures, small-group discussions, and physician modeling predicted, respectively, likelihood of extra attention toward the patient, conversing with the patient about dying, and praying with the patient.
Conclusions: Exposure to SRI in medical school may sensitize students to the psychosocial and spiritual needs of dying patients.