Prayer for patients? Readers and ethicists respond

Prayer for patients? Readers and ethicists respond
Medscape; by Alicia Ault; 4/24/25 
... In a recent Medscape column, Andrew N. Wilner, MD, related the story of a physician offering to pray for his wife at the conclusion of a routine visit. She had no previous relationship with the clinician and only a minor complaint. Wilner found the physician’s action disturbing and wrote in his column that while there might be situations where prayer would be appropriate, his wife’s visit did not fit in that category. Some readers took issue with Wilner’s response. ... He thinks there are a lot of considerations to weigh before a doctor should ask. “Prayer is very personal, and religious beliefs are very, very personal,” said Wilner, adding that “For some people, they’re profound.” Others might be agnostic, and it is not likely possible to know all of this if there is no prior patient-doctor relationship, said Wilner.

• Pro-Prayer Responses: ... [Responding to the Medscape column,] More than half — 56% — said they believed it was appropriate for a physician to ask to pray for a patient, but only if the patient is terminal and religious. ...
• Ethicists Weigh In: ... Context is key, ... Ronald W. Pies, MD "said that given that the doctor did not know the patient or her religious beliefs, “it was somewhat presumptuous” for the clinician to have asked to pray for her.
• Pushback and Private Prayers: ... Another commenter said, “I don’t go to religious leaders for medical care, and I don’t go to medical providers for spiritual care.” He also suggested making use of a hospital chaplain .. [who has] ... training and a kind of cultural competency that is not typically in the physician’s toolbox ...