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. 2002 Jan-Feb;2(1):5-10.
doi: 10.1367/1539-4409(2002)002<0005:faraas>2.0.co;2.

Faculty and resident attitudes about spirituality and religion in the provision of pediatric health care

Benjamin Siegel  1 , Andrew J Tenenbaum, Amber Jamanka, Linda Barnes, Carol Hubbard, Barry Zuckerman
Affiliations

Faculty and resident attitudes about spirituality and religion in the provision of pediatric health care

Benjamin Siegel et al. Ambul Pediatr. 2002 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Objective: To characterize pediatricians' attitudes toward spirituality/religion (S/R) in relationship to the practice of pediatrics.

Methods: Pediatric faculty (n = 100) and residents (n = 65) in an urban academic medical center completed a questionnaire about their attitudes toward and clinical practices related to S/R. Study variables included the strength of personal S/R orientation, attitudes toward S/R, clinicians' discussion of S/R with patients and families, self-reported S/R behaviors, the medical conditions that warrant discussion of S/R, and attitudes toward praying with patients if asked to do so.

Results: Sixty-five percent of pediatricians felt that faith plays a role in healing, and 76% reported feeling comfortable praying with a patient if asked to do so. Ninety-three percent would ask about S/R when discussing a life-threatening illness, and 96% when discussing death and dying. A strong personal S/R orientation was associated with beliefs that the pediatrician should discuss S/R with the patient (P <.01); beliefs that faith plays a role in healing (P <.01); and feelings that patients would like to discuss S/R with their pediatrician (P <.01), that the doctor-patient relationship would be strengthened by discussion of S/R (P <.01), and that physicians should call on an S/R leader for an illness or death (P <.01). Personal S/R orientation was not related to whether physicians reported that they discuss S/R issues with their patients (P =.08). Residents were more likely than faculty to state that it is appropriate to pray with patients if asked to do so (P <.05), and compared with pediatricians who were science majors in college, pediatricians who were nonscience majors in college felt more comfortable praying with patients if asked to do so (P <.01).

Conclusions: In an urban, inner-city, academic medical center, pediatric residents and faculty have an overall positive attitude toward the integration of S/R into the practice of pediatrics.

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