Apr 10 2007
For many the relationship between religion and health creates controversy in the medical world, and the influence of religion on healing almost always causes arguments amongst doctors.
Despite the fact that the debate on the effect of religion and spirituality on patient health has gone on for more than a decade, there appears to be little consensus on the topic.
A new survey is now suggesting that far more doctors bring their religious beliefs into practice and a strong association exists between doctors' views and their own religious beliefs.
Dr. Farr Curlin, a University of Chicago researcher and colleagues conducted a survey of U.S. doctors about their views on religion, spirituality and healing and found that doctors are not just objective, neutral scientists.
The researchers say that doctors religious or secular commitments influence the way they respond to patients and the way they interpret data.
The researchers mailed a survey in 2003 to a random sample of 2,000 practicing U.S. doctors aged 65 or younger from all specialties and of that number 63 percent responded; the average age of respondents was 49.
It was found that 85 percent of those surveyed believe religion or spirituality is generally positive, but only 6 percent say it often changes "hard" medical outcomes, reflecting some sort of miraculous healing.
Three quarters of those surveyed believed spirituality helps patients cope and also believe it gives them a positive state of mind.
However 7 percent said it often causes negative emotions such as guilt and anxiety and some 4 percent think patients use spirituality to avoid taking responsibility for their health.
Those doctors who were the most religious appear more likely to see the positive influence of religion on their patients and are much more likely to report that their patients bring up religion and issues of spirituality.
They are also much more likely to say religion has a strong influence on health and to interpret religion and spirituality in positive rather than negative ways.
Curlin's team say a doctors own religious beliefs will influence how the doctor responds to the patient's spiritual concerns, and doctors need to be aware that their own views of religion could influence how they provide care; patients too should take note of their doctors' biases.
The report is published in the April 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.