Some say spirituality and faith should be a part of treatment for patients with serious illness. On Thursday, one hospital hosted a spiritual care conference for physicians, patients and caregivers.
Mid-Michigan Medical Center in Midland hosted the spiritual care conference to talks about working patient’s beliefs into medical conversations.
Dr. Peter Bistolarides is a surgeon and a priest. He said a patient’s spirituality is an area that can help physicians treat the whole person.
“It’s not just the physical part of the patient we are looking at. Sometimes there is something deeper and this helps to define their values and we often don’t tap into that.”
Dr. Bistolarides said doctors should take their patient’s faith into consideration when giving them options and advice for long term care and treatment options.