Religion/Spirituality Curriculum in US Osteopathic Medical Schools: A Survey

Religion and Spirituality in Medical Care from the Patient Perspective in Camden County, New Jersey, USA: An Exploratory Study

Religion and spirituality (R/S) play a significant role in the way many individuals make decisions and structure their lives. The purpose of this exploratory study was to assess the attitudes and preferences of individuals who live or worship in Camden County, NJ, in regards to physicians addressing their religious and spiritual beliefs during medical care. This study was conducted through a survey which inquired about the level of the participant's religiosity/spirituality, specific religion, and attitudes towards and desires for conversations regarding religious and spiritual beliefs during medical care. Many survey participants shared strong opinions about physicians addressing R/S beliefs during medical encounters, with the majority expressing a positive view of conversations about R/S in medical care. The majority of respondents (75%) reported holding religious or spiritual beliefs that they described as important or very important to them, while 60% of participants indicated that their physician's awareness of their R/S beliefs was at least somewhat important to them. Based on the results of this exploratory study, the recommendation of the AAMC and Joint Commission to include conversations about R/S in medical care, as well as the tenets of osteopathic philosophy are  consistent with the majority opinion about R/S in medical care that was expressed through this survey.

"Understanding why she had to leave me": The roles of religion and spirituality in narratives of parents grieving the loss of a child to cancer

Religion and spirituality often influence how people experience illness, death, and grief. The roles of religion and spirituality for parents who have lost a child to cancer remain underexplored. This study aimed to describe how cancer-bereaved parents talk about religion and spirituality when reflecting on their experiences. Participants whose children died of cancer one to six years prior to participation completed a one-on-one semi-structured interview. Interview transcripts underwent qualitative analysis. Content pertaining to religion and/or spirituality underwent subsequent in-depth analysis to identify themes. Of 30 interviews analyzed, 28 contained religion/spirituality content. Four themes arose: (1) life after death, (2) divine control, (3) evolution of faith after loss, and (4) religious and spiritual interactions within the medical community. The absence of supports for religious and spiritual needs represents a gap in bereavement care. Future work should clarify needs and explore potential interventions.