Spiritual History May be Part of Your Next Medical Exam

[Guest guest]

Religion News Service

 

USA, August 29, 2003: When you visit a doctor for the first time,

besides being asked about your health history, your doctor might ask

you your religious beliefs as well. A number of physicians are taking

patients "spiritual histories," according to Dr. Harold G. Koenig of

Duke University. He believes by doing so it can help patients rally

spiritual resources to aid healing. "Neglecting a patients spiritual

dimension results in failure to treat the 'whole person,'" Koenig said.

He described this technique in a manual for health care professionals,

"Spirituality in Patients Care." A spiritual history might include

questions like: Does the patient rely on religion or spirituality to

help cope with illness? Is the patient a member of a supportive

spiritual community? What spiritual questions does the patient find

most troubling? Dr. Robert Fine, director of clinical ethics at Baylor

Healthcare Systems in Dallas, cited an example of a patient who

insisted on aggressive treatment, even though her advanced breast

cancer was clearly terminal. Fine learned that fear of going to hell

kept her from accepting the inevitable. After a conversation with a

chaplain, she was able to face death peacefully. Not everyone agrees

with the notion of physicians delving into the spiritual. Some worry

that doctors aren't equipped to navigate the gray areas between faith

and medicine. Dr. Jeffery P. Bishop, from the University of Texas

Southwestern Medical Center says that the ends of spirituality and

medicine don't always agree -- such as the beliefs of Jehovah's

Witnesses, who refuse blood transfusions even in life-threatening

situations. Koenig believes using spiritual intervention might bring

comfort to with patients facing surgery or life-threatening, chronic or

disabling conditions. Koenig cited a study suggesting that patients

struggling with spiritual crises tend not to heal as well. "Sometimes

just listening and validating will give comfort and will make the

patient more likely to accept a referral to a chaplain who can help,"

he said.