title: Asking patients about their religious and spiritual beliefs: Cross-sectional study of family physicians.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine family physicians' practices in and opinions on asking patients about their religious and spiritual beliefs, as well as physicians' comfort levels in asking.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study using self-administered questionnaires.
  
  
  METHODS
  Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 155 family physicians with office practices.
  
  
  METHODS
  Frequency of asking patients about their religious and spiritual beliefs and physicians' comfort levels in asking. Separate multiple linear regression analyses were conducted for each of these outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 139 questionnaires were returned for a response rate of 89.7 %. Of the respondents, 51.8 % stated that they asked patients about their religious and spiritual beliefs sometimes. Physician opinion that it was important to ask patients about religious and spiritual beliefs (P = .001) and physician comfort level with asking (P < .001) were significantly associated with physicians' frequency of asking patients about their religious and spiritual beliefs. Comfort level with asking patients about their religious and spiritual beliefs was significantly associated with the opinions that it was important to ask (P = .004) and that it was their business to ask (P = .003), as well as with lack of training as the reason for not asking (P = .007).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study found that family physicians were more likely to ask patients about their religious and spiritual beliefs if they had higher comfort levels in asking or if they believed that asking was important. Further, this study found that family physicians' comfort level with asking was higher if they believed that it was important to ask and that it was their business to ask about religious and spiritual beliefs. Physician comfort levels with asking patients about religious and spiritual beliefs can be addressed through adequate training and education.
authors.affiliation: Family physician at and Evidence-Based Medicine Coordinator for the Centre for Family Medicine in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont, Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont, and Adjunct Professor at Western University in London, Ont. leepoy@mcmaster.ca.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lee-Poy
authors.affiliation: Distinguished University Professor in the Centre for Studies in Family Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine and in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University, and is the Dr Brian W. Gilbert Canada Research Chair in Primary Health Care Research.
authors.forename: Moira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University.
authors.forename: Bridget L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.affiliation: Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University and at the School of Social Work at King's University College in London.
authors.forename: Judith Belle
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009864:Ontario; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires