title: Women with HIV: conflicts and synergy of prayer within the realm of medical care.
abstract: In a recent survey of women with HIV, prayer was mentioned as a very important source in decision making about HIV antiretroviral therapy. As a follow-up to this finding, we conducted in-depth interviews with 51 women attending a comprehensive HIV care center to better understand the role of prayer in their decisions about taking antiretroviral therapy. The sample consisted predominately of African American (80%) women with a median age of 31 years from St. Louis and surrounding areas. Forty-seven (92%) reported that prayer was an important source for HIV medication decision making, with 30 (59%) considering prayer more important than the physician. Twenty-nine (57%) perceived a qualitative difference between prayer and the physician, which created a sense of conflict for some. Thirty (59%) wished that the physician knew more about the role of prayer in their lives. Our findings reveal compelling issues: (a) the willingness of the women to talk about prayer as a resource and its importance in HIV disease management, (b) the roles that prayer and the physician play in HIV medication decision-making, and (c) ways prayer can be addressed in a medical setting.
authors.affiliation: Spiritual Care Services, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Crane
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perlman
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Meredith
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Jeffe
authors.forename: V J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Mundy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008923:Missouri; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012067:Religion; D012068:Religion and Medicine
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents