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Religion and spiritual beliefs play an important role for many patients.
Through religion, humans grapple with common issues of infirmity, suffering, loneliness, despair, and death, while searching for hope, meaning, and personal value in the crisis of illness (Vanderpool & Levin, 1990).
Religious beliefs and spiritual practices are powerful factors in coping with serious illnesses and in making ethical choices about their treatment options and in decisions about end-of-life care. 1, 2(McCormick et al., 2012).
Within the boundaries of medical ethics and with sensitive listening skills, physicians-in-training and physicians-in-practice find ways to engage the spiritual beliefs of patients in the healing process, and come to a clearer understanding of ways in which their own belief systems can be accounted for in transactions with patients.
Religion and spirituality are associated positively with better health and psychological wellbeing (Puchalski, 2001; Koenig, 2004; Pargament et al., 2004). Recent research also shows that patients involved in “religious struggle” have a higher risk of mortality (Pargament et al., 2001). Thus, physicians need to inquire about the patient’s spirituality and to learn how religious and spiritual factors may help the patient cope with the current illness, and conversely, when religious struggle indicates the need for referral to the chaplain.
Professional ethics requires physicians to not impinge the beliefs on patients.
Culture of Religious Pluralism
There is a wide range of belief systems ranging from atheism, agnosticism, to a myriad assortment of religions and spiritual practices. No physician could be expected to understand the beliefs and practices of so many differing faith communities.
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