Is religious devotion relevant to the doctor-patient relationship?
* For the faithful, a secularist approach to “generic religion” is of little value; the value of religious belief lies precisely in its particularity (C). * For the devout, no dimension of life is unaffected by religious beliefs (C). * Even when physician and patient speak from religiously discordant perspectives, the physician can compassionately and sensitively engage the patient on the patient’s terms, rather than forcing the patient to address difficult questions within a foreign moral framework (C). * An enriched dialectic will enable sensitive and appropriate care for religiously devout patients, ensuring that their concerns are addressed more than superficially (C). As I walked toward the elevators at the end of a long call night, I saw a patient sitting on the edge of her bed, staring blankly into the hall. Like many on the oncology floor, she had lost her hair. I waved at her. She nodded. I took a few steps into her room. I introduced myself; she told me her name–Julie. I ask
