Religion, spirituality, and medicine: psychiatrists' and other physicians' differing observations, interpretations, and clinical approaches.
OBJECTIVE
This study compared the ways in which psychiatrists and nonpsychiatrists interpret the relationship between religion/spirituality and health and address religion/spirituality issues in the clinical encounter.


METHODS
The authors mailed a survey to a stratified random sample of 2,000 practicing U.S. physicians, with an oversampling of psychiatrists. The authors asked the physicians about their beliefs and observations regarding the relationship between religion/spirituality and patient health and about the ways in which they address religion/spirituality in the clinical setting.


RESULTS
A total of 1,144 physicians completed the survey. Psychiatrists generally endorse positive influences of religion/spirituality on health, but they are more likely than other physicians to note that religion/spirituality sometimes causes negative emotions that lead to increased patient suffering (82% versus 44%). Compared to other physicians, psychiatrists are more likely to encounter religion/spirituality issues in clinical settings (92% versus 74% report their patients sometimes or often mention religion/spirituality issues), and they are more open to addressing religion/spirituality issues with patients (93% versus 53% say that it is usually or always appropriate to inquire about religion/spirituality).


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that the vast majority of psychiatrists appreciate the importance of religion and/or spirituality at least at a functional level. Compared to other physicians, psychiatrists also appear to be more comfortable, and have more experience, addressing religion/spirituality concerns in the clinical setting.
Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. fcurlin@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
Farr A
FA
Curlin
Ryan E
RE
Lawrence
Shaun
S
Odell
Marshall H
MH
Chin
John D
JD
Lantos
Harold G
HG
Koenig
Keith G
KG
Meador
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D012494:Sampling Studies; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires