title: Health-related religious rituals of the Greek Orthodox Church: their uptake and meanings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the uptake of religious rituals of the Greek Orthodox Church by relatives of patients in critical condition in Greece and to explore their symbolic representations and spiritual meanings.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Patients and their relatives want to be treated with respect and be supported for their beliefs, practices, customs and rituals. However nurses may not be ready to meet the spiritual needs of relatives of patients, while the health-related religious beliefs, practices and rituals of the Greek Orthodox Christian denomination have not been explored.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was part of a large study encompassing 19 interviews with 25 informants, relatives of patients in intensive care units of three large hospitals in Athens, Greece, between 2000 and 2005. In this paper data were derived from personal accounts of religious rituals given by six participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relatives used a series of religious rituals, namely blessed oil and holy water, use of relics of saints, holy icons, offering names for pleas and pilgrimage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Through the rituals, relatives experience a sense of connectedness with the divine and use the sacred powers to promote healing of their patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nurse managers should recognize, respect and facilitate the expression of spirituality through the practice of religious rituals by patients and their relatives.
authors.affiliation: Nursing B' Department, School of Health and Welfare Technological Educational Institution (TEI) of Athens, Egaleo, Greece. foukageo@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fouka
authors.forename: Sotirios
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Plakas
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taket
authors.forename: Markella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boudioni
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dandoulakis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002562:Ceremonial Behavior; D002835:Christianity; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000451:nursing*; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D033262:Narration; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D029181:Spirituality