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Spiritual and Religious Components of Patient Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Sacred Themes in a Secular Setting

Journal of Perinatology volume 21, pages 426–430 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that spiritual distress was a common, unrecognized theme for neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) care providers.

STUDY DESIGN: An anonymous questionnaire form assigned to a data table in a relational database was designed.

RESULTS: Surveys were completed by 66% of NICU staff. All respondents viewed a family's spiritual and religious concerns as having a place in patient care. Eighty-three percent reported praying for babies privately. Asked what theological sense they made of suffering of NICU babies, 2% replied that children do not suffer in the NICU. Regarding psychological suffering of families, the majority felt God could prevent this, with parents differing (p=0.039) from nonparents.

CONCLUSION: There exists a strong undercurrent of spirituality and religiosity in the study NICU. These data document actual religious and spiritual attitudes and practices and support a need for pastoral resources for both families and care providers. NICU care providers approach difficulties of their work potentially within a religious and spiritual rather than a uniquely secular framework.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Neonatology Unit, MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Elizabeth A Catlin MD & Marvin L Wang MD

  2. Sociology Department, Boston College, Boston, MA, USA

    Jeanne H Guillemin PhD & James O'Donnell BA

  3. Chaplaincy Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Mary Martha Thiel MDiv & Sheila Hammond MA

Authors
  1. Elizabeth A Catlin MD
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  2. Jeanne H Guillemin PhD
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  3. Mary Martha Thiel MDiv
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  4. Sheila Hammond MA
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  5. Marvin L Wang MD
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  6. James O'Donnell BA
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Additional information

Kenneth B. Schwartz Pastoral Care Fellowship recipient, 1999.

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Catlin, E., Guillemin, J., Thiel, M. et al. Spiritual and Religious Components of Patient Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Sacred Themes in a Secular Setting. J Perinatol 21, 426–430 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jp.7210600

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