I've run into several articles recently that discuss the interplay between faith and health, and whether it is necessary for medical practitioners to keep their faith “under the covers”.
In an article entitled “Faith and Mental Illness: An Interview with Sister Nancy Kehoe” from the July 19, 2009 edition of
Our Sunday Visitor, Kehoe discusses her 28-year experience as a psychologist conducting groups on patients' spiritual beliefs and values. She says, “Somehow prayer is like the keel on a boat. It grounds us and keeps us going, both the mentally ill person and his or her family and friends. Prayer doesn't cure the illness, but it can be a source of strength."
Yet the health care system remains reluctant to engage faith as an ally in the battle against illness.
The July 10, 2009 issue of
Oncology Times says that while 88% of cancer patients consider religion to be “somewhat or very important”, 72% indicate that they receive little or no spiritual support from the medical system. And while nearly all of those who received a visit from a chaplain felt comforted by the visit, only 52% of those interviewed received a chaplain visit.
In a December 2008
U.S. News and World Report article found
here, we read, “In recent years, a growing number of rigorous studies have shown that spirituality—including prayer, meditation, and attendance at religious services—benefits health in ways that science hasn't fully explained. Among other effects, regular worship and other spiritual acts appear to lengthen life expectancy, strengthen immunity, improve the body's response to stress, and boost other measures of physical health.”
In the same article, Dr,. Harold Koenig of the Duke Center for Spirituality and Health estimates that more studies on the topic had been conducted in the previous 8 years than had been conducted between 1800 and 2000. Yet reading further, we read these words of Richard Sloan, a New York-Presbyterian Hospital professor of behavioral medicine: “There are issues of manipulation and coercion, issues of invading privacy, and issues of actually causing harm by suggesting to people that their health is failing because of a failure of devotion." And while the article goes on to say that 84% of doctors polled think that they should be aware of a patient's spiritual beliefs, a mere 31% ask patients about these beliefs.
So right off the bat, we see that there is controversy about the value – and the appropriateness - of coupling faith and health.
Why don't health care providers more openly discuss faith with their patients?
In some instances, health care practitioners may not feel comfortable with their own faith, and may be far less knowledgeable or comfortable discussing faith with someone with different religious beliefs.
As a nurse, I have talked with patients who fear that their illness is a punishment for sin or proof that their faith is lacking. Many nurses don't feel up to the task of responding to such fears. I've cared for far more people who have found their faith to be a source of suppport and sustenance in illness. But even with patients who are comfortable talking about their faith, I recognize that many of my colleagues are not comfortable discussing faith.
For another thing, there is concern about the response of the health care facility's administration. An example may be found
here. It tells of a British nurse who was brought before a disciplinary board of the Gloucester Royal Hospital for wearing a crucifix. The hospital deemed the crucifix “a health and safety risk” for her patients and banned her from wearing it while on the job. She ultimately resigned as a result.
And “across the pond”, the Cape Cod Hospital has said it will not hire a per diem nurse who discussed religion with a dying patient. The patient's family claimed that she upset the patient by discussing repentance; the nurse claimed she was simply mirroring comments the patient had made.
(The full article may be found here.)
The
Oncology Times article cited above offers a non-threatening way to begin the dialogue. In it, Dr. Michael Rabow of the University of California, San Francisco, says “I raise the issue form the beginning. I ask, 'How has this illness impacted how you think about your spirituality?” Dr. Lodovicco Balducci, Director of the Geriatric Oncology Program at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Center, says, “I try to learn what is most important to this person's life... That opens the discussion about their beliefs.”
Over the course of a 35-year nursing career, I've developed my own method of providing those I care for with the opportunity to discuss their faith. When I sense that discussion of faith might be of benefit, I ask, “What gives you the strength to deal with your illness?”
And frequently, “faith” is the answer.
The other day, I posted a brief reflection on Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden here. The Cliff Notes version? In God’s perfect design, we could be with him naked and unashamed. Once sin entered the picture, though, we started to cover up.
