“Religious Diversity in a Hospital Setting”
Kirstin M. Springmeyer, Staff Chaplain
Sandi Sands, Senior Family Advocate
Texas Children’s Hospital
Many times the Patient Advocate is the first person to recognize the spiritual diversity in a
patient or family. That diversity might not be as evident as the clothes they are wearing or the way
the name is spelled or even the language being spoken. However, the advocate is trained to
investigate and notice certain things that others might not pick up on immediately. Advocates are
also very good at getting others to open up to them and share “what’s in their hearts and on their
minds”. It can be proven over and over again that the spiritual aspect of a human being is integral
to their health, so it’s very important to address their preferences/traditions.
Religious traditions tend to be as complex as they are long, and it is hard to predict how any
one family member may understand or apply them in the context of their loved one’s health care.
It is very important for healthcare professionals to address and encourage family members to
communicate with us on how religious/cultural values may be pertinent to their hospital stay,
especially regarding their personal needs, interaction with staff, and decisions about treatment.
The family member of a Muslim patient may request to be with the dying patient, so as to whisper
a proclamation of faith in the patient’s right ear before death. The bed of a Muslim patient may be
turned to face Mecca at the time of death.
Tying a thread around a loved one’s wrist, neck or waist symbolizes that the circle of life
can’t be broken even in death. The family may request that there be constant attendance of the
deceased’s body including when the body goes to the morgue.
Buddhism teaches that the body is not immediately devoid of the person’s spirit after death, so
medical staff are encouraged not to disturb the body for a period of hours for the purpose of
religious rites.
Increasingly, hospital chaplains and medical staff are seeing diverse religious and cultural
practices observed as patients near the end of life.
The Journal of Palliative Medicine reports that religious ceremonies can provide meaning
and comfort to patients and families. Specific practices, dietary needs and rituals can be a lot for
all staff to absorb. For example, Hindu patients might want a vial of water from the Ganges River,
which is most sacred to Hindus, placed next to the bed; Jehovah’s Witnesses are not allowed to
have blood transfusions; Muslims must not eat pork; Jewish tradition directs that burial happen
quickly and that there be no autopsy unless deemed necessary, such as by a mandate from the
Medical Examiner.
Recognizing ones faith tradition, especially during an end of life or crisis will honor their
need to practice their faith. Many hospitals will have copies of the Bible, Quran and other sacred
texts and religious resources such as Muslim prayer rugs, battery operated candles for Shabbat,
holy oil, baptismal /naming ceremony supplies, and Holy Communion, should the need arise.
Becoming educated about our modern religious world will only increase the respect of others with
whom we engage. My hope is that we are providing compassionate care regardless of diverse
faith traditions; especially within the healthcare profession.