Is It Time to More Fully Address Teaching Religion and Spirituality in Medicine?
Authors: Kristin M. Collier, Cornelius A. James, Sanjay Saint, Joel D. Howell
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2020)

Ideas and Opinions16 June 2020Is It Time to More Fully Address Teaching Religion and Spirituality in Medicine?Kristin M. Collier, MD, Cornelius A. James, MD, Sanjay Saint, MD, MPH, and Joel D. Howell, MD, PhDKristin M. Collier, MDUniversity of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan (K.M.C., C.A.J., J.D.H.), Cornelius A. James, MDUniversity of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan (K.M.C., C.A.J., J.D.H.), Sanjay Saint, MD, MPHUniversity of Michigan Medical School and Medicine Service, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan (S.S.), and Joel D. Howell, MD, PhDUniversity of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan (K.M.C., C.A.J., J.D.H.)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M20-0446 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail About a century ago, Sir William Osler, one of the most distinguished physicians of the day, observed that "Nothing in life is more wonderful than faith…. Faith has always been an essential factor in the practice of medicine" (1). Doctors and patients shared this belief in faith, and much more. Doctors and patients lived alongside each other, sent their children to the same schools, and worshiped at the same religious institutions.But even as Osler wrote those words, the medical world was rapidly changing, becoming more self-consciously based on science. The microbiological revolution enabled physicians to claim to know the ...References1. Osler W. The faith that heals. Br Med J. 1910;1:1470-2. [PMID: 20765152] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Howell JD. Technology in the Hospital: Transforming Patient Care in the Early Twentieth Century. Johns Hopkins Univ Pr; 1995. Google Scholar3. When Americans say they believe in God, what do they mean? Pew Research Center. 25 April 2018. Accessed at www.pewforum.org/2018/04/25/when-americans-say-they-believe-in-god-what-do-they-mean on 29 January 2020. Google Scholar4. Newport F. Five key findings on religion in the U.S. Gallup News. 23 December 2016. Accessed at https://news.gallup.com/poll/200186/five-key-findings-religion.aspx on 29 January 2020. Google Scholar5. Best M, Butow P, Olver I. Doctors discussing religion and spirituality: a systematic literature review. Palliat Med. 2016;30:327-37. [PMID: 26269325] doi:10.1177/0269216315600912 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. MacLean CD, Susi B, Phifer N, et al. Patient preference for physician discussion and practice of spirituality. J Gen Intern Med. 2003;18:38-43. [PMID: 12534762] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Association of American Medical Colleges. Core Entrustable Professional Activities for Entering Residency: Curriculum Developers' Guide. Association of American Medical Colleges; 2014. Google Scholar8. Lucchetti G, de Oliveira LR, Koenig HG, et al; SBRAME Collaborators. Medical students, spirituality and religiosity—results from the multicenter study SBRAME. BMC Med Educ. 2013;13:162. [PMID: 24314327] doi:10.1186/1472-6920-13-162 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Association of American Medical Colleges. Medical School Objectives Project, Report III. Contemporary Issues in Medicine. Communication in Medicine. Association of American Medical Colleges; 1999. Google Scholar10. Association of American Medical Colleges. Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). Functions and Structure of a Medical School. Standards of Accreditation of Medical Education Programs Leading to the MD Degree. Association of American Medical Colleges; 2016. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan (K.M.C., C.A.J., J.D.H.)University of Michigan Medical School and Medicine Service, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan (S.S.)Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M20-0446.Corresponding Author: Kristin M. Collier, MD, University of Michigan Medical School, 3116 Taubman Center, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, SPC 5368, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5368; e-mail, [email protected]edu.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Collier: University of Michigan Medical School, 3116 Taubman Center, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, SPC 5368, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5368.Drs. James and Howell: Division of General Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, 2800 Plymouth Road, Building 16, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.Dr. Saint: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, 2800 Plymouth Road, Building 16, 433W, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.Author Contributions: Conception and design: K.M. Collier, C.A. James, S. Saint, J. Howell.Analysis and interpretation of the data: S. Saint, J. Howell.Drafting of the article: K.M. Collier, C.A. James, J. Howell.Critical revision for important intellectual content: K.M. Collier, C.A. James, S. Saint, J. Howell.Final approval of the article: K.M. Collier, C.A. James, S. Saint, J. Howell.Administrative, technical, or logistic support: S. Saint, J. Howell.Collection and assembly of data: J. Howell.This article was published at Annals.org on 19 May 2020. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byExploring Sacred Moments in Hospitalized Patients: An Exploratory Qualitative StudyReligious Beliefs About Health and the Body and their Association with Subjective HealthTeaching Spiritual and Religious Competencies to Psychiatry Residents: A Scoping and Systematic ReviewReligion in the US during the time of a Pandemic: A Medical PerspectiveThe Role of Spirituality and Religion in Physician and Trainee WellnessChapter 8: Pharmacy Applications in EducationLeadership & Professional Development: Lessons Learned From the Other Side of the Stethoscope (and Endotracheal Tube) 16 June 2020Volume 172, Issue 12Page: 817-818KeywordsChildrenDisclosureFallsGraduate medical educationHealth careHuman sexual behaviorMedical educationPatientsResearch quality assessment ePublished: 19 May 2020 Issue Published: 16 June 2020 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2020 by American College of Physicians. 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