Humanitarian Physicians' Views on Spirituality

The role ofspirituality in medicine has become afocalpointfor an ongoing international debate and conversation. How do physicians who are recognized as outstanding humanitarians define the importance of spirituality, in their lives and in their professional work? Fourteen winners of the American Med...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Implicit religion
Main Author: Meldrum, Helen (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Equinox [2012]
In: Implicit religion
Further subjects:B Medicine
B Spirituality
B humanitarians
B Physicians
B Psychology
B AMERICAN Medical Association
B Medical Care
B Religious Aspects
B personal stance
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:The role ofspirituality in medicine has become afocalpointfor an ongoing international debate and conversation. How do physicians who are recognized as outstanding humanitarians define the importance of spirituality, in their lives and in their professional work? Fourteen winners of the American Medical Association Foundation's Excellence in Medicine: Pride in the Profession Award were interviewed to ascertain their views on spirituality. This articlefocuses on the doctors'perceptions ofhow their spiritual underpinnings affect their lives and work in medicine. All of the doctorsfelt spirituality was important to their own experience and to the task of understanding their patients holistically. A significant theme tying together the physicians' views was that each one acknowledged that spirituality was a part of their undergirding support system, both in their private lives and in their profession. All of the doctors lived by a creed of "doing good while doing well by the patient"—inside or outside oftraditional spiritual terminology.
ISSN:1743-1697
Contains:Enthalten in: Implicit religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1558/imre.v15.i2.15472