Although religion does not often enter the realm of medicine, some patients — particularly those with strong spiritual beliefs — may want to have spiritual interactions with their physicians.
For some patients, turning to prayer can be a comforting way of coming to terms with their recovery or prognosis. However, the presence of religion in the exam room may create a dilemma for physicians treating these patients, according to an op-ed in Medscape.
In particular, if a physician does not agree with the patient's beliefs and does not want to have a spiritual interaction with their patient or feels praying is keeping their patient from making necessary lifestyle changes, they may be inclined to leave religion out of their care routines. On the other hand, some physicians are glad to participate in prayer and feel it can help the patient's recovery.
"Patient surveys show that patients welcome prayer from their nurse or physician, especially in the case of greater illness severity," Michael Balboni, PhD, psychiatry instructor at Cambridge, Mass.-based Harvard Medical School, told Medscape. "The dichotomy between the doctor who takes care of the body and the priest who takes care of the soul doesn't exist for some patients."
For parents of pediatric patients with severe conditions, some physicians feel prayer helps build trust and communication with these parents, who are often struggling with a highly emotional situation. "In one instance where a patient's son was in a coma, I informed the mother, who is a devout Christian, that her child was in my prayers," said Moshe Cohn, MD, a pediatric critical care specialist at New York City-based NYU Langone Medical Center. "That led to [a] much more open relationship with that parent."
However, psychiatrist and geriatrician Harold Koenig, MD, director of the Center for the Study of Religion/Spirituality and Health at Durham, N.C.-based Duke University argues physicians do not necessarily have to participate in reciting prayer if the patient requests for them to join in. "Instead, you can offer to sit with the patient quietly while he or she recites the prayer," he said. "Physicians also have rights, including the right to excuse themselves if something violates their own religious beliefs, or they find it offensive."
If these situations arise, Dr. Koenig recommends for physicians to say "I'm probably not the best person to sit with you during prayer, so let me see if I can find someone else."
The decision to engage in prayer with patients should depend on both the physician and patient feeling comfortable, the article concludes. "Ultimately, the integrity of the physician/patient relationship will emanate not from the prayer per se, but from the atmosphere of mutual respect and partnership with which the issue is approached."