Resolution: S-20-21: ACKNOWLEDGING RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION IN PATIENT CARE

[Valerie Lile]

1  WHEREAS, 91% of U.S. adults believe in God or a universal spirit and more than 81% found religion
2  to be important within their lives¹; and

3  WHEREAS, approximately 94% of hospitalized patients believe that spiritual health is equal in
4  significance to physical health and that 40% of patients use religion to cope with illness²; and

5  WHEREAS, 33% of patients want their doctor to inquire about their religious beliefs and over 70% of
6  end-of-life patients would want their physician to know their beliefs²; and

7  WHEREAS, engaging in discussion about patient spirituality/religious beliefs builds rapport with
8  patients by improving empathy, building a sense of trust, and understanding patient behaviors³; and

9  WHEREAS, acknowledging spiritual or religious practices that drive patients to seek care is deemed
10  critical in achieving a more holistic medical practice³; and

11  WHEREAS, healthcare providers have a duty to respect and uphold a patient’s expressed religious
12  beliefs, even if this amounts to death⁴; and

13  WHEREAS, physicians are fully responsible for acknowledging that patients have a legal right to reject
14  treatment and if this right is not respected, can result in possible legal action; for example, Jehovah’s
15  Witness patients and their stance on receiving blood transfusions⁴; and

16  WHEREAS, studies have shown that a physician’s comfort level and their feeling of a lack of training
17  both play significant roles in whether or not the physician asks about the religious practices/spirituality
18  of the patient⁵; and

19  WHEREAS, introducing multidisciplinary experiential teaching and education modules into the
20  medical curriculum helps minimize barriers family physicians encounter when asking patients about
21  their religious preferences in the context of their health care⁵; and

22  WHEREAS, there are numerous tools/mnemonics already in place that are aimed at helping both
23  physicians and medical students assess religious practices, such as HOPE (Sources of Hope, Organized
24  Religion, Personal Spirituality and Practices, Effects on Medical Care and End-of-Life Issues), FICA
25  (Faith and Belief, Importance, Community, Address in Care), and the Open Invite mnemonic¹; now,
26  therefore, be it

27  RESOLVED, that the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) lobby the Commission on
28  Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) to encourage increased religious/spiritual preference
29  education within COM curricula; and, be it further,

30  RESOLVED, that the SOMA petition that the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners
31  (NBOME) encourage students to ask religious preference in the social history section of the subjective
32  portion of the patient encounter, when applicable, on the COMLEX-USA Level 2 PE to encourage
33  more patient-focused care; and, be it further,

1  RESOLVED, that the SOMA encourages COCA to monitor this increased implementation of
2  religious/spiritual preference education and provide assistance for increasing its prevalence within
3  COM curricula as needed.

References

1. (2020, January 31). Religion. Retrieved February 23, 2020, from https://news.gallup.com/poll/1690/religion.aspx
2. Saguil, A., & Phelps, K. (2012, September 15). The Spiritual Assessment. Retrieved February 23, 2020, from https://www.aafp.org/afp/2012/0915/p546.html#afp20120915p546-b4
3. (2018, July 1). Influences of Religion and Spirituality in Medicine. Retrieved February 23, 2020, from https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/influences-religion-and-spirituality-medicine/2018-07
4. Chand, N. K., Subramanya, H. B., & Rao, G. V. (2014, September). Management of patients who refuse blood transfusion. Retrieved February 23, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4260316/
5. Lee-Poy, M., Stewart, M., Ryan, B. L., & Brown, J. B. (2016, September). Asking patients about their religious and spiritual beliefs: Cross-sectional study of family physicians. Retrieved February 23, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5023366/

Submitted by:

Logan Shaver, OMS-II – Lincoln Memorial University — DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine – Harrogate Location
Staci Hunter, OMS-II – Lincoln Memorial University — DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine – Harrogate Location

Action Taken:
Date:
Effective Time Period: Ongoing

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