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To pray or not to pray: a question of ethics
Charlotte French1, Aru Narayanasamy
1Rotherham General Hospital, UK.
British Journal of Nursing (Mark Allen Publishing)
|November 10, 2011
Summary
Nurses face ethical dilemmas when using prayer in care. This paper explores the ethics of prayer in nursing, highlighting concerns like informed consent and patient autonomy, and calls for more research before widespread adoption.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Ethics
- Spiritual Care
Background:
- Nurses often feel a duty to provide spiritual care.
- The ethical use of prayer in nursing research and practice requires further discussion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a discourse on the ethics of prayer as a spiritual intervention in nursing and healthcare.
- To highlight key ethical issues surrounding prayer in nursing.
Main Methods:
- Critical reflection.
- Evidence-based literature review.
Main Results:
- Lack of informed consent is a significant ethical concern in research and practice.
- Ethical issues in practice include avoiding proselytizing and respecting patient autonomy.
- The side effects and implications of prayer in healthcare are not fully understood.
Conclusions:
- Nurses must balance personal spiritual beliefs with professional duties.
- Further research is needed to guide the ethical use of prayer in nursing practice.
- Currently, it is inappropriate to encourage or dissuade patients regarding their beliefs without sufficient evidence.
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