Slog
News & ArtsTuesday, January 31, 2012
??!! Religion at the Doctor's Office Reception Desk
Posted by Jen Graves on Tue, Jan 31, 2012 at 4:43 PM
While checking me in today at the doctor's office, the receptionist was checking my file to see that my insurance information was up-to-date, and she asked me, "Do you have a religious preference that you'd like listed here?"
No, I said, and that seems like a strange question.
"Well, it's here on the form," she said, sounding unsure. After a pause she added, "Just in case things go haywire and we need to know who to call!"
You mean my emergency contact? God is my emergency contact?
Is this a new question on "The Form," or what?
1
I think she means "Do we need to call a priest to give you last rites if you are close to dying? Let us know if you have a religion that requires some bizarre ritual before you croak."
2
Studies have shown that physicians do not typically ask patients about spiritual/religious beliefs that may affect medical decision making and that may thus be appropriate to the physician-patient relationship. Our study suggests that this potentially overlooked part of a patient's value system may be pertinent to the process of medical decision making in a large percentage of cases and that a physician's inquiry here may be welcomed by many patients, even if those patients may not hold such spiritual/religious beliefs. Our results would seem to encourage a carefully worded inquiry by physicians, perhaps along the lines of: "Do you have any spiritual/religious beliefs that may affect your medical decisions?" The generalizability of our results is limited, but the data suggest that further exploration by means of our questionnaire is warranted.
http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/pastoral/resed…
3
You wouldn't see that box for a teeth cleaning, but it's always been there. All the major religions have a version of Last Rights, and some hospitals may be able to accommodate this.
4
The religion question is common, at least at religious hospitals. It is so they know which type of priest or minister to call if things do not go well.
5
Also, if I were you, I'd start printing "God is my emergency contact" bumper stickers, and kiss having to wait for first Thursdays to get tanked on table wine goodbye!
7
A few years ago, I was forced to suffer through 20 minutes of my dentist telling me about her coming to Christ, including a side story about how her father hasn't yet accepted Jesus as his lord and savior, while she poked around in my mouth. When she finally asked, "Can I tell you a little bit about the Gospel?" I said, "I'd really rather not."
Needless to say, I have a new dentist now.
Needless to say, I have a new dentist now.
8
I'd imagine it also factors in when it comes to things like blood transfusions and other modern medical marvels that some cults arbitrarily declare verboten.
10
Pretty sure this is a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) thing. Bringing back someone who doesn't want to be brought back does not make your lawyers happy.
11
No, this is obviously about the sacrament of Extreme Unction, which it would be extremely distressing for a believing Catholic to miss. Other religions too. It's a form of respect, not some attempt to push religion on you. Making fun of the beliefs of others is fun on Slog but not actually cool in real life. Doctors in particular take the wishes of their patients in their direst time of need very seriously.
15
@10: Except that being asked whether I have a religious preference in a glancing way is not how I'd like to be queried about my end-of-life decisions by my medical caretaker. Know what I mean? There were people standing behind me in line, she was in a hurry, and this is supposed to determine whether I'm a DNR?
16
It doesn't mean anything about DNR; it's just who's supposed to come to talk to you/your supposed loved ones.
@6, pig-related tongue depressors are fine for most Reform Jews. Bacon's best.
@6, pig-related tongue depressors are fine for most Reform Jews. Bacon's best.
17
Let me translate that question from the legal world to the real world:
"Are you a Jehovah's Witness or do you adhere to some other religion that restricts the extent and type of medical care we can provide to you? We want to know so that we can avoid giving you blood products or other types of interventions your religion prohibits. And if you don't tell us now, you can't sue later if we do something your religion doesn't like."
"Are you a Jehovah's Witness or do you adhere to some other religion that restricts the extent and type of medical care we can provide to you? We want to know so that we can avoid giving you blood products or other types of interventions your religion prohibits. And if you don't tell us now, you can't sue later if we do something your religion doesn't like."
18
No no Jen - a DNR is a much more formal thing that a HS graduate asking you a question on a form. I'm guessing that she was awkwardly following a format and she just isn't a good communicator. This has happened to me a few times and finally I looked inside my cranky self and realized that the person was reading off a form, and not even that interested. And also perhaps not the smartest person in the world. If you want a DNR order you have to go through a lot more business.
Once I went to have an MRI at a Catholic hospital. In addition to asking my religious preference (I told them I'd prefer HH the Dalai Lama to attend me in my final moments) they offered an unspecified group of Catholic pray-ers to pray for me for a week. Really it seemed like a no-loser proposition, so I said yes. I think it made them happy.
Once I went to have an MRI at a Catholic hospital. In addition to asking my religious preference (I told them I'd prefer HH the Dalai Lama to attend me in my final moments) they offered an unspecified group of Catholic pray-ers to pray for me for a week. Really it seemed like a no-loser proposition, so I said yes. I think it made them happy.
19
I'm in the heart of the Bible Belt (and in addition to all the Baptists and other fundamentalists, there is a boatload of Catholics, since this is Louisiana), and they have never asked it on a doctor's office intake form or even at the hospital when I had surgery a few years ago.
20
@11: Technically, Extreme Unction stopped in the 1960s. They modernized it and made it a positive sacrament, and give it to everyone of every stage of life nowadays. It's the Sacrament of Anointing, for healing of any mental, physical or spiritual needs (for addictions, people going into labor, etc. Note: not on the deathbed). I'm in my lower 30s and I was visiting some elderly friends when they were anointed and they sort of insisted I got anointed too. I just shrugged my shoulders and said to myself "oh why not? I'll take whatever help I can get!"
21
If this ever happened to me - it hasn't - I think I'd just shrug it off, because I can't imagine the receptionist would give one single fuck if I made some kind of smart-ass reply. Like, I could put down "Jedi" or get all offended and point out that I'm secular and don't appreciate the question or think it has any place in evidence-based medical care, but, like, I think the most rise I would get out of anyone is a yawn and maybe an eye-roll.
22
Perhaps this is related to the Susan G. Komen foundation pulling mammogram funding from Planned Parenthood because they are pussies who are playing right-wing political games with women's lives. They'd rather someone croak then get a low-cost mammogram from an entity where performing abortions accounts as only 3% of all of its women's health services. Maybe the next Race to the Cure participants will have to pass a purity test and identify their religious preference and their hatred for Planned Parenthood, all for the honor of representing the right-wing Nancy Brinker and her foundation that claims to be for women but obviously doesn't trust women to make decisions about their own lives.
23
Just checkmark "{_} Other:", write in "Gay", and enjoy the aneurism you've given her. (Doesn't matter if one is gay or not, although the reaction the lady would have if one actually isn't gay would be priceless)
24
I worship the religion of the Vulcans. Will someone be available to accept my katra at the time I die?
26
Just got out of the hospital--again.
They asked me each time what my religious preference was in case I needed a clergy.
Each time I needed blood (I always need blood) they ask me if I'm a JW or a Christian Scientist.
Each time I tell them "oh, no, no, no, I'm not religious at all. No clergy, please, especially Scientologists."
They asked me each time what my religious preference was in case I needed a clergy.
Each time I needed blood (I always need blood) they ask me if I'm a JW or a Christian Scientist.
Each time I tell them "oh, no, no, no, I'm not religious at all. No clergy, please, especially Scientologists."
27
..yet my nurse, who I had just told, later on mentioned that Patch the Pirate records would be really great for kids.
http://www.patchthepirate.org/Crew.aspx
http://www.patchthepirate.org/Crew.aspx
28
This is common for hospitals, so they can send the preferred clergy to comfort your loved ones should they "whoops!" you into the morgue, or to counsel you if you are facing the abyss. Unless you are about to have surgery, I would worry about your doctor asking about religious preference.
29
@11, I completely disagree, making fun of peoples religious beliefs is both fun on slog AND in real life.
30
IIRC, Frank Zappa was asked this question when his (wife?partner?whatever?) was having their first child.
He didn't want to give an answer, and the receptionist he was talking to was insistent, so he finally answered "Music".
m!
He didn't want to give an answer, and the receptionist he was talking to was insistent, so he finally answered "Music".
m!
31
We ask it for the blood transfusion thing. Nothing to do with DNR at all. And yes, some meds are not Kosher, insulin can be porcine off hand.
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