November 5, 2009

Religion And Medicine: Sometimes A Healing Prescription

New study reports that pediatric physicians are more likely to accept the salve of religion when medicine has failed the patient




"Physicians view religion and spirituality as a barrier when it impedes medical recommendations and as a bridge when it helps families answer questions medicine inherently cannot," the authors wrote.


Still, religion and spirituality almost always come up when medical treatment fails to cure the patient. As one physician explained, "The old adage that there are very few nonbelievers in fox holes applies in this setting also." The study found that many of the physicians believe religious and spiritual beliefs help patients and their families shift from curative to palliative care.

As one physician said, ""¦frankly those who do have religious convictions"¦there's a belief"¦that there's something beyond this world, they seem to handle better, even the patients quite a bit better. And it's easier to talk about death with those families and those patients. There's an underlying belief that there's something beyond this world that is basically a better world. It is much easier to discuss in a much more helpful manner than with families that do not."

"The study shows that physicians do not want religious beliefs to trump medical care or expertise, and they get frustrated when such beliefs interfere with medical decisions," said Cadge. "But at the end of the day, when a loved one is dying or all medical options are exhausted, physicians often welcome a family's religious beliefs because they help a family answer the "why us" questions that medicine cannot," said Cadge.


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