Does religion have a place in medicine? Benjamin Frush, MD, former TMC Fellow and resident in internal medicine at Vanderbilt University responds to this question in an interview for Monthly Prescribing Reference.
Dr. Frush writes: “The idea that we can cleanly separate religion and medicine, as pertains to both doctors and patients, is artificial because religion is not only a characteristic but for many people, it is a foundational orientation to the world. The physician’s sacred obligation to alleviate suffering and foster the patient’s health is paramount. The real question isn’t whether religion has a place in medicine, but how it can be integrated into the clinical setting in a way that honors physicians as well as their patients, allowing for good care and avoiding pitfalls, coercion, and harm.”