Vol XII, Issue 4 Date of Publication: October 04, 2015
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20529/IJME.2015.062

Views
, PDF Downloads:

Dealing with requests for faith healing treatment

Siddharth Sarkar
Hiramalini Seshadri
Abstract:
Faith healing practices are common in the Indian subcontinent, for remedying physical as well as psychiatric disorders. Patients and/ or their family members often resort to such treatment, especially when dissatisfied with the usual medical care or when the patient has a terminal illness. The application of the principles of medical ethics varies across cultures and time, and with the ethical principles to which a society subscribes. This write-up explores the various options available to healthcare professionals faced with patients and/or their family members who express a wish for faith healing services. The options discussed include outright rejection of faith healing practices, maintaining a distance or neutrality, endorsing such practices, and exploring the belief system of the patient and/or the family members. The various options are viewed from the lens of the principles of medical ethics.


Copyright and license
©Indian Journal of Medical Ethics 2016: Open Access and Distributed under the Creative Commons license ( CC BY-NC-ND 4.0),
which permits only non-commercial and non-modified sharing in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

Full Text

HTML | PDF
Help IJME keep its content free. You can support us from as little as Rs. 500 Make a Donation