J R Crane | PubMed Health

PubMed2001

A case study using the Discipline with a clinical team.

Health care delivery in hospitals and clinics promotes an interdisciplinary team approach. This article presents the use of The Discipline though the involvements of the chaplain as part of the Infectious Disease team as together they addressed the inherent spirituality of one HIV/AIDS patient. This narrative recounts the unfolding events of the patient's life and describes the use of The Discipline during a very difficult time period for the patient and the staff. The experience can serve as a model for other health care teams who must manage difficult, deteriorating patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Women with HIV: conflicts and synergy of prayer within the realm of medical care.

In a recent survey of women with HIV, prayer was mentioned as a very important source in decision making about HIV antiretroviral therapy. As a follow-up to this finding, we conducted in-depth interviews with 51 women attending a comprehensive HIV care center to better understand the role of prayer in their decisions about taking antiretroviral therapy. The sample consisted predominately of African American (80%) women with a median age of 31 years from St. Louis and surrounding areas. Forty-seven (92%) reported that prayer was an important source for HIV medication decision making, with 30 (59%) considering prayer more important than the physician. Twenty-nine (57%) perceived a qualitative difference between prayer and the physician, which created a sense of conflict for some. Thirty (59%) wished that the physician knew more about the role of prayer in their lives. Our findings reveal compelling issues: (a) the willingness of the women to talk about prayer as a resource and its importance in HIV disease management, (b) the roles that prayer and the physician play in HIV medication decision-making, and (c) ways prayer can be addressed in a medical setting.

Adolescent↗