Cross-cultural adaptation of the EPICC spiritual care education standard into European Portuguese

Abstract

Background: Spiritual care is a dynamic and multifaceted concept. The EPICC project, launched to improve nurses' competence in spiritual care through innovative education, supports this approach. The EPICC framework includes several tools and resources with the Spiritual Care Education Standard as the core tool. Aim: Translation, validation and cross-cultural adaptation of the EPICC Spiritual Care Education Standard into European Portuguese language and culture. Methods: Validation study using the Cross-Cultural Adaptation method. This method involves a six-step framework: translation, synthesis, back-translation, review by the expert panel (n=6), pre-testing, and concluding with the submission and approval of all documents by the original instrument authors and the expert panel. EQUATOR checklist: GRRAS. Ethical Issues and Approval: Doctoral research project (approved by the Ethics Committee on 19 July 2023). Results: The data were collected between November 2023 and April 2024 and showed 100% agreement and a Content Validity Index (CVI) of 1 for all items among experts. The pre-test, collected in May 2024, with 39 nursing students showed 90% agreement and minimal response variability among the items. Conclusions: The study successfully adapted the EPICC Spiritual Care Education Standard to European Portuguese, highlighting the need for ongoing investment in spiritual care education in nursing curricula. Implications: This study highlights the importance of students' spiritual care competencies in nursing education and practice, emphasising their integration into curricula and the ongoing relevance of healthcare policy in supporting this dimension of holistic care.