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Brett and Jersild¹ have highlighted an extremely difficult group of patients. The authors provide a useful analysis of religious reasons Christian families often use to justify continued treatment and correctly point out alternative theological stances. We also agree that physicians are not in any way obliged to provide medically inappropriate care because it is demanded on religious grounds.

We emphatically disagree that it is ever appropriate for physicians, or any other member of the treatment team, to "discuss alternative religious interpretations with the patient or family" except in the very limited circumstance when the patient or family member explicitly requests such input. Besides being a violation of the patient's right to have their religious beliefs and culture respected as affirmed by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, this approach virtually never achieves the desired result. In over 30 years of cumulative experience as hospital chaplains working with . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Rev George Handzo, BCC; Rev Martha R. Jacobs, BCC
New York, NY

RELATED ARTICLE

"Inappropriate" Treatment Near the End of Life: Conflict Between Religious Convictions and Clinical Judgment
Allan S. Brett and Paul Jersild
Arch Intern Med. 2003;163(14):1645-1649.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT