Review Question - QID 100009

Patients or patients' families who request that their doctor pray with them should be treated with the principle of nonmaleficence. Agreeing to stand and respect a family's prayer will not cause the patient distress and is the most appropriate response.

Physicians who do not share their patients' beliefs might instead offer their support and good wishes, or to stand and respect the ceremony, which would not cause the patient distress. Physicians need not offer their own beliefs unless solicited by the patient.

Anandarajah et al. discuss the challenge of responding to patients who ask their physicians to pray with them. The authors acknowledge that while physicians may not always be able to fulfill a patient's request for prayer, a compassionate, open-minded approach will help to lead to a healthy doctor-patient relationship.

Roberts et al. published a Cochrane review of the effectiveness of intercessory prayer as an additional intervention for those with health problems already receiving standard medical care. The authors report that most available data are equivocal. However, they note, it is impossible to prove or disprove in trials any supposed benefit that derives from God's response to prayer.

Illustration A is a table from Anandarajah et al. displaying questions a physician ought to ask oneself to prepare a professional response to a request for prayer.

Incorrect Answers:
Answer 1: There are no rules or laws that disallow families to pray for patients, provided the prayers or ceremonies are not disruptive to patient care.
Answers 3, 4, & 5: Physicians need not offer their own beliefs unless solicited by the patient, and may not insist that other members of the team engage in prayer. To stand and respect the prayer would not cause the patient distress, and would be beneficial for building trust with the family. Making a referral or consult is generally not a correct answer on the USMLE Step 1.