1. Religious values of physicians affect their clinical practice: A meta-analysis of individual participant data from 7 countries.
- Author
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Kørup AK, Søndergaard J, Lucchetti G, Ramakrishnan P, Baumann K, Lee E, Frick E, Büssing A, Alyousefi NA, Karimah A, Schouten E, Wermuth I, and Hvidt NC
- Subjects
- Adult, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Female, Germany, Humans, India, Indonesia, Male, Physicians psychology, Religion, Surveys and Questionnaires, United States, Physicians statistics & numerical data, Practice Patterns, Physicians' statistics & numerical data, Religion and Medicine
- Abstract
Background: Observational studies indicate that religious values of physicians influence clinical practice. The aim of this study was to test prior hypotheses of prevalence of this influence using a meta-analysis design., Methods: Based on a systematic literature search we performed individual participant data meta-analysis (IPDMA) on data based on 2 preselected questionnaires. Ten samples from 7 countries remained after exclusion (n = 3342). IPDMA was performed using a random-effects model with 2 summary measures: the mean value of the scale "Religiosity of Health Professionals"; and a dichotomized value of the question "My religious beliefs influence my practice of medicine." Also, a sensitivity analysis was performed using a mixed-models design controlling for confounders., Results: Mean score of religiosity (95% confidence interval [CI]) was significantly lower in the European subgroup (8.46 [6.96-9.96]) compared with the Asian samples India (10.46 [9.82-10.21]) and Indonesia (12.52 [12.19-12.84]), whereas Brazil (9.76 [9.54-9.99]) and USA (10.02 [9.82-10.21]) were placed in between. The proportion of the European physicians who agreed to the statement "My religious beliefs influence my practice of medicine" (95% CI) was 42% (26%-59%) compared with Brazil (36% [29%-43%]), USA (57% [54%-60%]), India (58% [52%-63%]), and Indonesia (91% [84%-95%])., Conclusions: Although large cross-cultural variations existed in the samples, 50% of physicians reported to be influenced by their religious beliefs. Religiosity and influence of religious beliefs were most pronounced in India, Indonesia, and a European faith-based hospital. Education regimes of current and future physicians should encompass this influence, and help physicians learn how their personal values influence their clinical practice.
- Published
- 2019
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