title: Religion and spirituality: the perspective of health professionals.
abstract: This study examined how health professionals signify the religiosity and faith of patients under cancer treatment and how they themselves experience such phenomena. This is a qualitative-descriptive study, using the phenomenological framework as set out by Stein and Ales Bello, as a way of understanding the human being in its totality - physical, mental and spiritual. Most professionals report they are spiritualists, two are Catholics, one physician is a Buddhist and another is a Spiritist. They believe that religion is inherent to all human beings. Professionals convicted of their religion (less than half) believe in divine protection and recognize religiosity as a support and comfort for patients and their families in coping with illness. They expect patients to live their faith with prudence, never losing sight of reality.
authors.affiliation: Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, SP, Brazil. espindulajoelma@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Joelma Ana
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Espíndula
authors.forename: Elizabeth Ranier Martins Do
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Valle
authors.forename: Angela Ales
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Bello
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D012067:Religion; D029181:Spirituality