Patients' perception of physician-initiated prayer prior to elective ophthalmologic surgery.
BACKGROUND
Prayer is an important part of many patients' and physicians' lives. There is little data in the literature regarding patients' perception of prayer from or with their doctors.


OBJECTIVE
To assess in a masked fashion patients' impression of prayer's role in a medical setting, and their perception of being offered and receiving prayer from their physician.


METHODS
Confidential survey of 567 consecutive patients who were offered prayer by their physician before elective eye surgery.


METHODS
Proportion of patients favoring physician-initiated prayer and weighted Likert responses to various positive and negative sentiments regarding their experience.


RESULTS
Survey response rate was 53% (300 patients). Ninety-six percent of patients identified themselves as Christian. At least 90% of Christian patients responded favorably toward their prayer experience to each Likert question. Among the non-Christian patients, the proportion of negative impressions to the prayer experience ranged from 0 to 25%.


CONCLUSIONS
Physician-initiated Christian-based prayer before surgery is well-received by a strong majority of Christian patients. Although the data are few, only a minority of non-Christians felt negatively regarding this experience.
Siatkowski
R Michael
RM
Dean A. McGee Eye Institute/Department of Ophthalmology, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, OK, USA. rmichael-siatkowski@dmei.org
Cannon
Sterling L
SL
Farris
Bradley K
BK
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002835:Christianity; D003625:Data Collection; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures; D006801:Humans; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures; D010820:Physicians; D011300:Preoperative Care; D012067:Religion; D012068:Religion and Medicine