It's not my job to pray with you.

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I am not religious. I do not pray. If praying makes you feel good then awesome. Do that. When patients are religious and need spirutual support, I am the first one to find their local pastor/rabbi/medicine man/etc. for them. This is how I can support my patient. I do not feel however, that I should be pressured to say prayers. yes, I will give my patient space and quiet time to pray if they want, but i don't feel it's my job to pray with patients. I feel this is over the line.

Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
What studies?

I can't cite them specifically right now but you can find the studies on Google Scholar. They refer to patients having better outcomes when the patients know they are being prayed for or with as opposed to the outcomes of patients who don't pray or have specific spiritual beliefs. When I read the studies I did notice that they have a very small sample and no control cohort so the results may not be valid.

Hppy

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I can't cite them specifically right now but you can find the studies on Google Scholar. They refer to patients having better outcomes when the patients know they are being prayed for or with as opposed to the outcomes of patients who don't pray or have specific spiritual beliefs. When I read the studies I did notice that they have a very small sample and no control cohort so the results may not be valid.

Hppy

I've seen some of those studies; I've also read critiques of them that found the studies used questionable methodology, small sample sizes, and were obviously biased, and the results couldn't be replicated.

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I can't cite them specifically right now but you can find the studies on Google Scholar. They refer to patients having better outcomes when the patients know they are being prayed for or with as opposed to the outcomes of patients who don't pray or have specific spiritual beliefs. When I read the studies I did notice that they have a very small sample and no control cohort so the results may not be valid.

Hppy

And how could there be a control anyway? How can you be certain that no one is praying for patients? Or if knowing that one is being prayed for is thought to be the salient variable, then how, ethically, do you tell a patient that no one is praying for him, even is he is an atheist?

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I can't cite them specifically right now but you can find the studies on Google Scholar. They refer to patients having better outcomes when the patients know they are being prayed for or with as opposed to the outcomes of patients who don't pray or have specific spiritual beliefs. When I read the studies I did notice that they have a very small sample and no control cohort so the results may not be valid.

Hppy

I was responding to KIMMIEKAYS post. The post below doesn't sound intolerant to me. Although I wouldn't join in the specific prayers said aloud I have many times stood with families as they prayed.

Here's how I look at it. Praying with a patient (Which I don't mind doing) is like deciding to have a gun in your home. If you don't like to or don't want to then don't do it, but don't tell me I can't or shouldn't. If a fellow nurse came to me and said the patient is asking me to pray with them and I don't feel comfortable doing that then I would say watch my patients for me for a minute or two and I'll do it. Like I have said here before I have prayed with Christians, Muslims, Jewish people, Wiccas and many others - It's just about showing a respect for that person's belief. Like I say when I sign my posts Namaste!

Peace and Namaste

hPPY

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wow!!! don't let you ever get sick or have cancer and shoot someone down who asks you to pray with them.. serious. I guess Gods graces have nothing to do with healing patients. Lots of anger in your post Namaste

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

I heard of a study about prayer and recovery in hospitalized patients. It considered whether or not the patients knew they were being prayed for. A significant number of patients declined once they knew people were praying for them. Apparently, they concluded they must be beyond help if people were praying.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
wow!!! don't let you ever get sick or have cancer and shoot someone down who asks you to pray with them.. serious. I guess Gods graces have nothing to do with healing patients. Lots of anger in your post Namaste

Please use the quote function so we know to whom you are being disrespectful.

Wishing cancer upon someone is in poor taste. Hose of us who don't share your particular religious bent are equally deserving of respect.

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Specializes in Palliative, Onc, Med-Surg, Home Hospice.
wow!!! don't let you ever get sick or have cancer and shoot someone down who asks you to pray with them.. serious. I guess Gods graces have nothing to do with healing patients. Lots of anger in your post Namaste

Please explain your post.

Gods grace had NOTHING to do whatsoever with healing me. The doctors, nurses, RRT's etc all had a hand in it. I found that comment to be in poor taste. I also found our flippant attitude (which is how it is coming across to me) about serious/terminal illnesses to be in poor taste.

I also find your use of Namaste to be in poor taste.

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When I was a PICU nurse, I took care of an incredibly developmentally advanced 2.5 year old in renal failure on the transplant list. It was around 2 in the morning and she was awake and scared and lonely and I was keeping her company with the lights down.

She could only speak in 2 or 3 word phrases at a time which made everything she said seem more urgent. Out of nowhere she asked "will you pray with me?" At the time I wasn't very religious and definitely didn't pray with anyone, so I felt like I'd been hit with a subsonic bean bag.

I took her hand in mine and said some kind of prayer that I can't remember.

I'll never forget that. She went to sleep and I went out to the desk to tell my friend this little kid asked me to pray with her. Amazed, she asked "what did you do?"

I said "What could I do? I prayed with her".

I have no idea whatever happened to her but I will never forget that as long as I live.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Had a very restless, pacing dementia pt. One night, out of desperation I started to hum/sing Amazing Grace. That woman STOPPED her pacing, laid down in her bed, and napped for about 45 minutes. All on her own effort.

Was it the calming power of prayer or something else? I don't know, but I used to put religious music channels on their radios/TVs after that episode.

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Had a very restless, pacing dementia pt. One night, out of desperation I started to hum/sing Amazing Grace. That woman STOPPED her pacing, laid down in her bed, and napped for about 45 minutes. All on her own effort.

Was it the calming power of prayer or something else? I don't know, but I used to put religious music channels on their radios/TVs after that episode.

I doubt that has anything to do with the "power of prayer." It's well-known that many dementia clients respond well to music. Doesn't have to be religious music, just music. Familiar music from individuals' past seems to work best.

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