title: Influence of religious beliefs on health workers, a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Religious beliefs amongst health care providers have been noted to influence some advice given to patients by hospital workers. There are instances when patients have been told to go and seek help from elsewhere as this ailment is not for their type of medicine (orthodox medicine). That patient should go to a spiritualist for help. The authors wanted to find out if this was rarity or common practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  An observational study carried out at health facility using a 15 item structured questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy questionnaires were self-administeredto clinical healthcare workers and retrieved. 58 (82.9%) have heard that a practitioners religious belief can affect client/patient's management. 48 (68.6%) believe that a practitioners religion can influence client/patients management. Several reasons were given howbelief can affect the management
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Physicians religious bias can affect practice. This should be discouraged and effort made to stop this attitude and practice.
authors.forename: Ilanye Hope
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Bellgam
authors.forename: Yvonne Omiepirisa
authors.initials: YO
authors.lastname: Buowari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012067:Religion; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires