Religiosity/Spirituality of German Doctors in Private Practice and Likelihood of Addressing R/S Issues with Patients

This study examined the self-assessed religiosity and spirituality (R/S) of a representative sample of German physicians in private practice (n = 414) and how this related to their addressing R/S issues with patients. The majority of physicians (49.3 %) reported a Protestant denomination, with the r...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Subtitles:Religiosity/Spirituality of German Doctors in Private Practice and Likelihood of Addressing Religiosity/Spirituality Issues with Patients
Authors: Voltmer, Edgar (Author) ; Koenig, Harold G. 1951- (Author) ; Büssing, Arndt 1962- (Author) ; Al Zaben, Faten (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Springer Science + Business Media B. V. [2014]
In: Journal of religion and health
Year: 2014, Volume: 53, Issue: 6, Pages: 1741-1752
Further subjects:B Spirituality
B Education
B Health
B Physicians
B Counseling
B Religion
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
Description
Summary:This study examined the self-assessed religiosity and spirituality (R/S) of a representative sample of German physicians in private practice (n = 414) and how this related to their addressing R/S issues with patients. The majority of physicians (49.3 %) reported a Protestant denomination, with the remainder indicating mainly either Catholic (12.5 %) or none (31.9 %). A significant proportion perceived themselves as either religious (42.8 %) or spiritual (29.0 %). Women were more likely to rate themselves R/S than did men. Women (compared to men) were also somewhat more likely to attend religious services (7.4 vs. 2.1 % at least once a week) and participate in private religious activities (14.9 vs. 13.7 % at least daily), although these differences were not statistically significant. The majority of physicians (67.2 %) never/seldom addressed R/S issues with a typical patient. Physicians with higher self-perceived R/S and more frequent public and private religious activity were much more likely to address R/S issues with patients. Implications for patient care and future research are discussed.
ISSN:1573-6571
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of religion and health
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s10943-013-9776-0