Religion in healthcare

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PlaqueBuster

"Perfect" practice makes you perfect
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So I prefer if this were answered by those that have actually experienced this in healthcare.

I am agnostic though I was raised by religious parents, so I understand how religion/principles can interfere with everyday activities. How do you approach patients that make decisions (false) or refuse certain treatment because of their religious beliefs? How do you as a physician (if you are religious) balance religious beliefs with practicing medicine/giving medical advice to others?

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in what case would a doctor being religious change their course of action compared to if they weren't? How does their medical practice need any "balancing"?
 
Ah the good ole Jehovah's Witness situation comes to mind.
 
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I once experienced an ethical situation in which a married Jehovah's Witness made his sister, who was not a Jehovah's Witness, his health care surrogate rather than his wife. She told him that if he made her his surrogate that she would authorize blood products if he could not make his own health care decisions.

He refused all blood products while he was conscious and in the presence of his wife. Once he went to surgery and an emergency decision needed to be made, his sister authorized blood products. He could have written into the proxy that he refused blood products regardless. He did not.

People, religious or not, sometimes make decisions for seemingly strange or personal reasons or reasons they just choose not to share with anyone else. They are still valid decisions.
 
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I don't think that moderate religiosity interferes with everyday life. Having a slightly different set of morals =/= interference with daily activities.

In the realm of medicine, I also don't see how practice would become significantly different, save for certain issues such as abortion. But keep in mind that the religious are not the only ones who choose not to advocate abortion.
 
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There will always be patients who will refuse treatment or refuse to do good things for themselves because they think that god's going to take care of it. I'm reminded of a man who refused to get a flu shot because he thought god wouldn't give him the flu this year. Small example, but certainly representative of what you'll see somewhat routinely. There's also the people who, on the other end, refuse to stop treatment or withdrawal care for obviously dying patients (whether themselves or a loved one) because they're waiting for god to give them a miracle and cure whatever's wrong.

It's often hard to talk people out of these things, but the method I've most commonly seen used (and works at least sometimes) is flipping around the argument and suggesting that perhaps god put you (the doctor) here with the patient in order to guide them and help them make the right decision.

The strongly religious people that I've seen that have issues with certain medical practices mostly just.... don't do a specialty where they'll have to deal with it. Don't believe in abortion or birth control? Don't do OB/GYN. Don't believe in withdrawal of care or not feeding/hydrating dying patients? Go into peds or some adult specialty where your patients typically aren't old or dying. It's usually fairly easy to avoid ethical/religious conflicts in that way. For people who have more extreme beliefs (ie not believing in blood transfusions)... I'm pretty sure you just get over it. You don't have to believe in it for yourself, but you are obligated to do it for your patients should the need arise. /shrug. I'm an atheist, which comes with it's own set of issues in practicing medicine, but that's just what I've noticed.
 
There will always be patients who will refuse treatment or refuse to do good things for themselves because they think that god's going to take care of it. I'm reminded of a man who refused to get a flu shot because he thought god wouldn't give him the flu this year. Small example, but certainly representative of what you'll see somewhat routinely. There's also the people who, on the other end, refuse to stop treatment or withdrawal care for obviously dying patients (whether themselves or a loved one) because they're waiting for god to give them a miracle and cure whatever's wrong.

It's often hard to talk people out of these things, but the method I've most commonly seen used (and works at least sometimes) is flipping around the argument and suggesting that perhaps god put you (the doctor) here with the patient in order to guide them and help them make the right decision.

The strongly religious people that I've seen that have issues with certain medical practices mostly just.... don't do a specialty where they'll have to deal with it. Don't believe in abortion or birth control? Don't do OB/GYN. Don't believe in withdrawal of care or not feeding/hydrating dying patients? Go into peds or some adult specialty where your patients typically aren't old or dying. It's usually fairly easy to avoid ethical/religious conflicts in that way. For people who have more extreme beliefs (ie not believing in blood transfusions)... I'm pretty sure you just get over it. You don't have to believe in it for yourself, but you are obligated to do it for your patients should the need arise. /shrug. I'm an atheist, which comes with it's own set of issues in practicing medicine, but that's just what I've noticed.

On the other hand, there are a subset of patients who don't believe in abortion and birth control who would welcome an OB-GYN with similar point of view and there are OB-GYN residencies that will provide residency in keeping with that philosophy of care.
 
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My religious views have nothing to do with a patients healthcare. Present the facts as best as you can, and leave it to them to decide. I don't have any strong views on end of life care, it isn't my business. If I dealt with kids, vaccinations, or abortions after 20+ weeks for non life threatening ordeals it would be difficult.

I don't usually have to give an end of life spiel anymore in my specialty. I do wonder if I came off as pro "pull the plug" at times, but sometimes I think it is to temper patient and family expectations.
 
I know a number of people with very strong religious beliefs who have gone into palliative care as a result of their experiences with the dying.

I also know one catholic student who went into OB specifically like LizzyM said to be a resource for patients who want someone they feel they can relate to
I worked with an OB/GYN attending during a 3rd year clerkship who was catholic and refused to rx birth control. Some of his patients drove a long way to see him, others had no clue about his beliefs and were told OCPs would not be helpful for conditions in which they were indicated. Very frustrating. I also worked with a pcp who would not write for birth control and would lie about vasectomies to dissuade patients.
 
I worked with an OB/GYN attending during a 3rd year clerkship who was catholic and refused to rx birth control. Some of his patients drove a long way to see him, others had no clue about his beliefs and were told OCPs would not be helpful for conditions in which they were indicated. Very frustrating. I also worked with a pcp who would not write for birth control and would lie about vasectomies to dissuade patients.
Although I have a very strong interest in EM, I've recently considered going into OB/GYN and/or abortion care because of crap like this and all the legislative bulls*** that's been going on. Women need doctors who won't let religion get in the way. It'll be interesting to see where my interests take me... I have years to decide still!
 
In general, I view religion as something to a patient may use to comfort themselves. If they would want the doctor to pray with them, I would do it out of concern for their comfort, but I'm not actually religious and would not let my beliefs interfere with modern standards of care.
 
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