Religion in Intensive Care Units

Guest: Farr Curlin, Ph.D., Medical Humanities Professor from The Divinity School at Duke University When facing the end of life, many people and their families turn to faith for comfort and answers. But when those moments happen in a hospital, doctors and nurses are rarely inclined to engage in a religious conversation. Researchers from Duke and the University Pittsburgh tracked a couple hundred of end-of-life discussions between health care professionals and the families of dying patients in Intensive Care Units. During the majority of conversations, when family members brought up faith or religion, doctors and nurses either changed the topic or quickly brushed off the comments.