It's not my job to pray with you.

[kickatthedark]

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.

[ILUVERNSG, MSN, RN]

If a patient is asking you to pray with them they must be really scared and in bad shape somehow.

Empathy and kindness go a long, long way.

Tell your patient kindly that you're not really a religious person, but that you'd like to go find someone to pray with them right now- there's always a co-worker or chaplain or someone, even housekeeping who will come to the bedside.

[KIMMIEKAY11868]

Studies prove that spiritual patients fair much better.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Studies prove that spiritual patients fair much better.

Spiritual patients FARE better? That's good news for spiritual folks.

It's still not my job to pray with anyone. So I sincerely hope that they have family or friends or even a member of their congregation to pray with them.

[elkpark]

Studies prove that spiritual patients fair much better.

Sources, please ... You can't just make a sweeping generalization like that and expect anyone to take it seriously.

[nursel56]

Studies prove that spiritual patients fair much better.

What studies?

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

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

[elkpark]

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.

[bellini]

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?

[elkpark]

Studies prove that spiritual patients fair much better.

Long-Awaited Medical Study Questions the Power of Prayer - The New York Times

Prayer and healing: A medical and scientific perspective on randomized controlled trials

What Do Prayer Studies Prove? | Christianity Today

[nursel56]

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

[Caligirlrn22]

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

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

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.