Praying with Patients?

Agree or disagree: Prayer is the most well-known traditional spiritual nursing therapy. That’s a true statement, according to literature cited in the recent JCN article, “How Christian Nurses Respond to Patient Requests for Prayer.” Mamier et al. (2023) describe how patients view prayer, personally and in healthcare settings.

So how do you respond when a patient mentions prayer? The authors offer these tips for offering to pray with a patient.

• Be self-aware. What’s prompting your desire to offer prayer? With the goal of doing what’s best for the patient, consider that health-related crises can prompt a “dark night of the soul” when prayer might stir up anger or bring peace.
• Assess. Does the patient want prayer with you? Try asking: “Would a prayer be helpful?”
• If the patient agrees, assess what he or she wants prayer for. “Is there something you’d especially like me to pray about?” and “Do you have a way you prefer to pray?”
• Pray according to patient preferences. These likely reflect the person’s religious traditions and his or her personality (i.e., an introvert may prefer silent prayer).
• Be mindful. Prayer is not magic—it’s an encounter with the Holy, an occasion to orient ourselves toward God’s will.
• Prayer may launch a spiritually intimate conversation. Prevent yourself from running away! Avoid using prayer to end an uncomfortable encounter. Be prepared to offer a referral to a spiritual care expert when appropriate.

Whatever your current or past experiences and concepts of praying with patients, Mamier and colleagues’ article offers plentiful and practical information on patient prayer preferences and nurse responses. The authors conclude with the encouragement that nurse-led prayer is valuable, and praying in a professional context is a skill that can be acquired and taught.

“How Christian Nurses Respond to Patient Requests for Prayer” by Iris Mamier, Carla Gober Park, and Elizabeth Johnson Taylor was published in the October-December 2023 issue of the Journal of Christian Nursing. doi: 10.1097/CNJ.0000000000001061

3.0 contact hours of NCPD are available with this article through NursingCenter.com/ce.

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