title: Spirituality within the patient-surgeon relationship.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the attitudes of general and orthopaedic surgical outpatients regarding inquiry into their religious beliefs, spiritual practices, and personal faith.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, voluntary, self-administered, and anonymously-completed questionnaire, regarding religious beliefs, spiritual practices, and personal faith, March-August, 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  General and orthopaedic surgical outpatient settings, Health Services Foundation, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, a tertiary care academic medical center in Mobile, Alabama.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients referred for evaluation and management of general and orthopaedic surgical conditions, pre- and postoperatively, were approached.
  
  
  METHODS
  The questionnaire solicited data regarding patient: (1) demographics; (2) religious beliefs, spiritual practices, and personal faith; and (3) opinions regarding inquiry into those subjects by their surgeon. The latter opinions were stratified on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree." Statistical analysis was conducted using software JMP(®) 8 Statistical Discovery Software (S.A.S. Institute Inc., Cary, North Carolina) and a 5% probability level was used to determine significance of results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-three percent (83%) of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that surgeons should be aware of their patients' religiosity and spirituality; 63% concurred that surgeons should take a spiritual history; and 64% indicated that their trust in their surgeon would increase if they did so. Nevertheless, 17%, 37%, and 36% disagreed or strongly disagreed with those perspectives, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  By inference to the best explanation of the results, we would argue that religiosity and spirituality are inherent perspectives of patient-surgeon relationships. Consequently, those perspectives are germane to the therapeutic milieu. Therefore, discerning each patient's perspective in those regards is warranted in the context of an integrative and holistic patient-surgeon relationship, the intent of which is to restore a patient to health and well-being.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, College of Medicine and Medical Center, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Madhuri S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Mulekar
authors.forename: Arnold
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Luterman
authors.forename: Frederick N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: William O
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Charles B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Rodning
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000407:Alabama; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009985:Orthopedics; D057240:Patient Preference / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012067:Religion; D012737:Sex Factors; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires