["They could at least ask ... "--on nursing and spiritual needs]

The central issue in this article is religious communication in two district hospital units in Norway, one surgical and one psychiatric. The objective was to get an understanding of patient's and staff's experience of the role of religion in the daily life at the hospitals. Methods used were participant observation and qualitative interviews. Religious communication is not an ordinary part of daily conversation, neither between patients and staff nor within the respective groups. If religion becomes a subject, it is after the initiative of a patient. This initiative of the patient and the religious freedom of choice seem to be important norms for the staff. Patients want an offer, both written and verbal, so that they may choose what they want to utilize.