Spirituality/Medicine Interface Project

Physician’s Role in Addressing Spiritual Needs

Authors: Harold G. Koenig, MD

Abstract

Although physicians are not clergy or spiritual care experts, they play an important role in addressing the spiritual needs of disaster survivors. There are at least six reasons why physicians should communicate with patients about spiritual issues1: first, many patients are religious and want physicians to be aware of their religious or spiritual backgrounds; second, for many patients who are religious, these beliefs are used to cope with stressful events; third, patients may be at least temporarily isolated from their religious communities in healthcare settings and alternative means of addressing spiritual needs should be provided; fourth, religious beliefs can influence medical decisions, conflict with medical care, and affect compliance; fifth, religious involvement may impact mental and physical health outcomes; and, sixth, religion may affect the support and care patients receive in the community. Each of these factors can directly influence the healthcare and health outcomes of disaster survivors; moreover, following a catastrophe there are usually not enough chaplains around to address these issues (even in nondisaster settings, there are only enough chaplains to see 1 in 5 hospitalized patients2).

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References

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