Do modern medicine and religion mix?

Question

Do you think a devoutly Catholic GP or surgeon, for example, can give you the best care? There are many articles which indicate that devoutly religious doctors are far less effective/medically ethical than their more secular counterparts.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/30/AR2006083003290_pf.html

Answer 1

that's why I always shop around for a jewish doctor they are very religious.

Answer 2

it depends on whch specialty you choose.

In ob/gyn, of course you won't offer contraception, so in that area you're defficient, but that doesn't mean you're a bad clinician, nor does it mean you're less effective in treating disease and releiving suffering!

All it means is that you specialize in treatment. Let's see which clinic has more cases of malpractice, then we made a real comparison.

But if you looked a specialty like psychiatry, or oncology, let me ask you how important it is to respect the patient as a three dimentional person. If religion is on your side you grab it and squeeze every drop out of it for the patinet's benefit. The difference between a practicing religious patient and a nonreligious is like night and day.

And with the most vulnerable patient group, religious ethics are more important than ever.

Answer 3

I think a doctor would be remiss if he didn't include considerations of his patient's faith in his treatment of said patient. His own faith, however, should be left out of his discussions with his patient completely, But hey that's just me.