Spirituality and Religion Within the Culture of Medicine: From Evidence to Practice
Edited by Michael Balboni and John Peteet
Abstract
This book provides a comprehensive evaluation of the relationship between spirituality, religion, and medicine evaluating current empirical research and academic scholarship. In Part 1, the book examines the relationship of religion, spirituality, and the practice of medicine by assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the most recent empirical research of religion/spirituality within twelve distinct fields of medicine including pediatrics, psychiatry, internal medicine, surgery, palliative care, and medical ethics. Written by leading clinician researchers in their fields, contributors provide case examples and highlight best practices when engaging religion/spirituality within clinical practice. This is the first collection that assesses how the medical context interacts with patient spirituality recognizing crucial differences between contexts from obstetrics and family medicine, to nursing, to gerontology and the ICU. Recognizing the interdisciplinary aspects of spirituality, religion, and health, Part 2 of the book turns to academic scholarship outside the field of medicine to consider cultural dimensions that form clinical practice. Social-scientific, practical, and humanity fields include psychology, sociology, anthropology, law, history, philosophy, and theology. This is the first time in a single volume that readers can reflect on these multi-dimensional, complex issues with contributions from leading scholars. In Part III, the book concludes with a synthesis, identifying the best studies in the field of religion and health, ongoing weaknesses in research, and highlighting what can be confidently believed based on prior studies. The synthesis also considers relations between the empirical literature on religion and health and the theological and religious traditions, discussing places of convergence and tension, as well as remaining open questions for further reflection and research.
Bibliographic Information
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- Print Publication Date:
- May 2017
- Print ISBN-13:
- 9780190272432
- Published online:
- May 2017
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780190272432.001.0001
Authors
Michael Balboni,
editor
Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Instructor, Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital
John Peteet,
editor
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Fellowship Site Director, Adult Psychosocial Oncology, Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital