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Patient Perceptions About the Role of Religion and Spirituality During Cancer Care

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Abstract

We sought to assess the perspectives of cancer patients relative to their spiritual well-being, as well as examine the impact of religion/spirituality during cancer care. A mixed-methods concurrent embedded online survey design was used. While 86% of participants indicated a religious/spiritual belief, respondents also reported lower overall spiritual well-being than population norms (t(73) = − 5.30, p < 0.01). Open-ended responses revealed that 22% of participants desired the healthcare team to address the topic of religion/spirituality, but the majority preferred to discuss with a family member or friend (48%). Religion/spirituality might play a central role for a subset of patients across the cancer journey.

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Correspondence to Timothy M. Pawlik.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Merath, K., Palmer Kelly, E., Hyer, J.M. et al. Patient Perceptions About the Role of Religion and Spirituality During Cancer Care. J Relig Health 59, 1933–1945 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00907-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00907-6

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