Faith, Spirituality, and Medicine by King Dana E.; Koenig Harold G.;

Author:King, Dana E.; Koenig, Harold G.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group

ETHICS OF SPIRITUAL INQUIRY

The first step in addressing the ethics of spiritual involvement is determining whether it is ethically acceptable to inquire about patients’ religious and spiritual beliefs. This determination should be based on the importance of obtaining the information and the rights and responsibilities of physicians and patients. Any inquiry should respect patients’ basic rights of autonomy, confidentiality, and privacy.

Obtain Important Information

Obtaining important medical information is one ethical justification for spiritual inquiry. Jamison has pointed out that most disease and injury result from lifestyle choices rooted in cultural personal values rather than distinct organic pathology.7 He goes further to express that ignoring the spiritual dimension of human beings is on a par with making a diagnosis without an adequate physical examination. Wind8 has supported the inclusion of religion in dealing with bioethics and medical decision making because it produces a more accurate view of the people encountered in the health care setting. Spiritual inquiry may be justified on the basis of obtaining important and accurate information regarding patients’ health, health beliefs, and personal behaviors that affect health.

A counterargument is that inquiring about patients’ spiritual concerns is inherently “nonmedical” and therefore outside the realm of acceptable disclosure. Sloan and colleagues9 have raised this concern, saying that physicians should not promote a nonmedical agenda, and that to do so would abuse their status as professionals. They object specifically to making inquiries into a patient's spiritual life for the purpose of making recommendations that link religious practice with better outcomes. Sloan does make an allowance for “taking into account” religious factors, so that basic inquiry would be ethical, but not inquiry leading to nonmedical or spiritual interventions.

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